″We need everyone’s help, Ukrainians want to come to Portugal and it is very difficult″
The 40,000 Ukrainians who live in Portugal, of which one is Portuguese, are also divided between requests for help from family members and offers of support in Portugal. The main problem is who manages to flee Ukraine, mostly women, children and the sick. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forced to stay to fight for the country, even though they also have dual nationality..
There are many women who are protected. very difficult. They need a home, medical support, legal advice.” This is the distressing request of Olga Garasmsku, vice-president of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal.
This has emerged from all sides, not only through donations to bank accounts but also through the availability of resources from officials, non-governmental organizations and professional associations, namely psychologists.
“We have many families who have made themselves available to help us, clothes and houses to welcome these families with goods”, adds the association leader. Among the possible contacts for donations, there is the association’s page (spilka.pt). “Ukraine needs your help. We have no choice,” the main phrases that justify the request for support.
The website of the Embassy of Ukraine in Portugal is no longer operational. The warnings sent to those fleeing Ukraine are from social media. “Have water, food, warm clothing and reserve fuel if you travel in your own vehicle. You must also have your identification and travel documents with you”. It includes alternative phone numbers and contributes to a telecom operator offering calls to Ukraine as well as a television package with Ukrainian channels.
The immigrant community is watching from a distance the war that started at dawn on Thursday, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. and exclusive friends, in contact with as soon as possible. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not expected, as the decree of Martial Law mobilized them for war, even if they have Ukrainian and Portuguese nationality.
It happened to six citizens who traveled on the “train” organized by the Portuguese Embassy in Kiev and who were prevented from leaving. On the night of this week, 48). This last group is expected to join those in Romania, to organize the repatriation flight to Portugal, said this Saturday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva. He added that another 40 intend to leave and 15 have already asked the Portuguese Embassy for help to make the trip.
The Embassy refers to the existence of 300 Portuguese in the country before the beginning of the armed conflict, but, according to the MNE, there were 240, among which 40 only had Portuguese nationality. However, 4 and 2 the country before the Russian invasion, subsequently 4, which means that they are in country 15, almost exclusively with the nationality.
Portuguese Solidarity
Demonstrations in defense of Ukraine and in protest against Russia have been daily in Portugal, particularly in front of the Russian Embassy in Lisbon and the Russian consulate in Porto. Yesterday, at 17:00, a human chain was organized in Belém, joining the Praça da Itália, where there is a statue of the Ukrainian poet Taras Schevchenko, a symbol of resistance, to the Palace of Belém. They were received by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with the President expressing his solidarity with the Ukrainian people, noting that “the Portuguese people also resisted, fought and affirmed their independence and freedom”. Therefore, he underlined, “we are following in a solidary way your fight for the territory and the right to independence”.
For this Sunday, protest actions will be prepared in front of the Russian Embassy, at 15:00 and 30 minutes before, a demonstration in support of the Ukrainians will start in Praça do Comércio.