Telephone support for Ukrainian refugees in Portugal to be done in Russian – Observer
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Ukrainian refugees1 who call 218 10691, the Commissariat for Migration (ACM) support number, are answered in three languages — English, Portuguese and Russian. So there is no option to select Ukrainian language, reports to CNN Portugal.
The pre-recorded messages confirm this reality: “For Portuguese, press 1; For English, press 2; Для русского языка нажмите три [para russo, prima 3]”. On the website of SOS Ukraine, the Migrant Helpline Telephone Translation Service, this is where support is provided in Ukrainian, but this is not the case.
Pavlo Sadhoka, from the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, denounces to CNN that “it seems that the High Commissioner for Migration wants to recognize Ukrainians as Russians”. The association official warns that there are cases of refugees who do not speak other languages, in this case Portuguese, English and Russian. This means that “they will not be able to get the support they need when they arrive in Portugal”.
The situation is outraging the Ukrainian community living in Portugal. Aleksandra (not her real name) lives in Porto and reveals that she is “hurt” because the service provides the language of the invading country and not that of the invaded country. “I was educated in Russian, but not everyone speaks the language,” she told CNN.
The High Commissioner for Migration has not explained, so far, why the Telephone Service provides support in Ukrainian.