OLYA (SHE)
People relocate with humanitarian visas not only alone, but also with their families. Olya talked about why it had become difficult to live life as usual, what motivated her to move and forced her to radically change not only her life, but also the lives of the people for whom she is responsible.
People relocate with humanitarian visas not only alone, but also with their families. Olya talked about why it had become difficult to live life as usual, what motivated her to move and forced her to radically change not only her life, but also the lives of the people for whom she is responsible.
1
From the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I had no time for a confusion
The first day was horrible, but then uninterrupted work started. I volunteer at Quarteera. And as I was doing social media, I was overloaded with flyers, posters, and telegram posts. While someone in the team is actually helping people and looking for accommodation, there must be someone who creates a picture for an Instagram post and puts it out there to tell everyone there is help. But that didn't last long. The first drafts of the "fake news" law arrived, and I stepped back from my tasks for a while.
At one point, my life was completely shattered. My friend died in Kyiv. One of the closest people to me. I had to pull myself together. We gathered a whole team to find her body, identify her and so on. Being in Russia, it was incredibly difficult to do that. The authorities pretended at the time that nothing was going on. No one was willing to acknowledge the fact that the Russian Federation had killed its own citizen in 2022 at Babi Yar. We had to call Ukrainian institutions ourselves and solve everything directly. I am so grateful to everyone who helped us back then.
2
It was essential for me to continue my activism and volunteering and not give up
After a while, it got unbearable for me to do nothing, so I went back to social media. By this time, I was horrified to make any further steps. I live with my wife and children. And the subject of our relationship has always been a matter of manipulation, especially regarding the right to parenting. It became clear that the children's father was an eager supporter of everything that was going on in Russia. The passing of the law on "LGBT propaganda" was imminent, and it was not clear what the consequences would be.
It was essential for me to continue my activism and volunteering and not give up. But I am not the most stress-resistant person. It became difficult for me to work from Russia, plus the fear for my family. It was important to me that the children wouldn't attend the "Conversations about important things for Putin" classes. [Olya talks about the school subject, "Conversations about important things." It was introduced in Russia shortly after the invasion of Ukraine. It requires teachers to talk to children about "confrontation between Russia and NATO," patriotism, as well as the imposed sanctions and "Ukrainian nationalism" — ed. note]. I didn't want to put kids in a risky situation with my activities and beliefs.
It was essential for me to continue my activism and volunteering and not give up. But I am not the most stress-resistant person. It became difficult for me to work from Russia, plus the fear for my family. It was important to me that the children wouldn't attend the "Conversations about important things for Putin" classes. [Olya talks about the school subject, "Conversations about important things." It was introduced in Russia shortly after the invasion of Ukraine. It requires teachers to talk to children about "confrontation between Russia and NATO," patriotism, as well as the imposed sanctions and "Ukrainian nationalism" — ed. note]. I didn't want to put kids in a risky situation with my activities and beliefs.
3
I wish the humanitarian visa for LGBT people would be expanded. Not only activists need help. Those who are fleeing military drafting and who are losing their jobs due to orientation, together with families with children
At first, I thought about moving using my own resources. But it was unclear whether we had the time, especially as moving a family of five was a financially unimaginable scenario for me. The humanitarian visa allowed us to go to Germany, and now we are back on our feet. I wish the humanitarian visa for LGBT people would be expanded. Not only activists need help. Those who are fleeing military drafting and who are losing their jobs due to orientation, together with families with children, also need it.
The new law [banning "LGBT propaganda" - ed. note] is a repressive mechanism. I wouldn't be surprised if I read on the news how people who are not LGBTQ+ are being punished under this law. Human rights have been erased, and court hearings are a farce and a mockery. The absurdity level makes me angry or want to give up; sometimes, as a defence mechanism, I laugh. The main thing in Russia now is to get oriented. Everyone who stays has the exact mechanism as in 2014: we look around, analyse who got what and how much, come up with our own red lines and get out of it as best we can. In a police state, this approach will sooner or later stop working. The invented red lines are no longer matched by the actual random repression.
4
I value that children outside the home can get different information and reflect rather than being bombarded with one-sided propaganda. This turned out to be very important for me.
I am now continuing to volunteer at Quarteera and planning to enrol at the university here. And while previously I only looked towards psychology, which I studied in Russia, here I look at politics and legal disciplines. There is less aggression around children, adults don't talk about enemies, danger and the fact that "a great nation must save the world". I value that children outside the home can get different information and reflect rather than being bombarded with one-sided propaganda. This turned out to be very important for me.
