Olena, left her city, Bucha, in Ukraine’s Kyiv Oblast, along with her two children, one year ago following the Russian invasion through Belarus.
The first stop in Olena’s journey towards peace was Moldova and the final destination Greece. Olena and her children arrived at Greece on April 14th, 2022. Back home she left her husband -he serves in the Ukrainian armed forces- and her whole life. A life full of colours and creation; Olena is a painter and a businesswoman, and she is actually what her name implies; the shining light!
We met her in her new temporary, as she emphasizes, country. We are waiting for her, on a sunny day of February, at the Blue Refugee Center (BRC) of SolidarityNow in Thessaloniki, a few days before the one-year anniversary of the Russia’s brutal invasion to Ukraine that shocked the world.
Olena and her children actively participate in all the specially designed actions for Ukrainian refugees organized by the Center’s experienced staff. More specifically, through the “UNICEF Ukraine Response CP Program” Olena has adapted very quickly to the Greek society, learning the Greek language, participating in women’s empowerment groups and activities to get to know the city and culture, and attending concerts, theater performances, and especially designed seminars to support Ukrainians. “I would like to warmly thank SolidarityNow for the opportunity to keep our culture alive!”
“The tragic war images create the feeling of pain, while on the other hand you realize what it means to be a fighter and defend your country”.
And yet, life doesn’t stop. The conditions Olena is experiencing seem to make her more determined and fortunately she does not give up on her dreams. She continues painting not only because she wants to keep practicing her job, but because this is the way she expresses herself, and, as she confesses, being able to do so is very important to her. As she tells us, “Paintings are icons of the creator“.
When she had the opportunity to visit her husband, she viewed disastrous images of bombed cities. She feels extremely proud of her compatriots who are true fighters, who have not abandoned their country nor lost their courage and are still standing and fighting. Her only wish is the end of the war, something that will also mean the reunification of her family!
See Olena’s work on her website, https://www.moskvinova.art/t-en, as well as the salon she still maintains in Ukraine, here.
*The “Ukrainian Response-CP” program is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support and funding of UNICEF Greece and the European Union.
**The operation of the Blue Refugee Center is supported by UNICEF Greece.