Escaping Ukraine - Part 1

One year on. Remembering the displacement of Ukraine’s people and the importance of technology in solving their challenges.

This is the first of 4 blog posts we’ll share in the coming weeks about the impact connectivity had on the lives of those fleeing conflict and establishing new lives elsewhere.
 
February 20th is the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. unconnected.org understood the importance that telecoms and connections to the internet would play in keeping people safe in this conflict, providing information and choices for the people of Ukraine.
 
This is the story of Volodymyr, his wife and 3 children aged 3, 9 & 10. 

They lived in a small town near Kherson, which is in the south of Ukraine, half an hour from the Russian-occupied region of Crimea. The family were already in turmoil after the death of Volodymyr’s father at the beginning of February. When the invasion took place, they were initially in denial about what was going on. 

It was only on the 4th day when a friend called to say they should think about leaving. Russian tanks were rolling down the high street. The displacement of their family had begun.
 
The family stayed in their friend's basement with 20 other people for a month with limited possessions and cramped living conditions. Driven by the mother’s desire to return home, they did just that, remaining in their home for 3 more months. Each day brought new challenges.

Showing support for the Ukrainian cause risked Russian retribution; information and facts were scarce, and internet access was intermittent at best. TV and radio were in the control of the Russians. By now, Kherson was partly occupied and had become the front line. Russian checkpoints were everywhere, and what limited internet connectivity there was, they used to form social media groups with other locals looking to flee.

On the 16th of June, their group did just that…
 
Follow us to find out what happened next.