Ukrainian first-year students: 'I felt guilty that I'm not there to fight'
Six months ago, the war in Ukraine started. How does it feel to walk around the UvA now as a Ukrainian first-year students while there is war in your home country?
Ukrainian Illia Blacchenov (18) moved to Bulgaria when he was 10 years old, but most of his relatives remained in Ukraine. Before Russia attacked Ukraine, he had already decided that he wanted to study at the UvA because he saw more opportunities here than in Ukraine and Bulgaria.
A few days before his entrance exam, the war broke out. That was difficult for him because many family members had to go and fight. ‘And I felt guilty that I didn't go to help fight. I went just the opposite way, to the West.’
The war is not staying within the borders of Ukraine, Illia observes. ‘The war in Ukraine has stirred up hatred between Ukrainians and Russians. But I myself have Russian friends who think critically about the war. That's why I'm curious about how it is at the UvA, whether there is a certain hostility between Ukrainian and Russian students.’
Ukrainian student Iryna Salei (18) is going to do a preparatory program at the UvA this year and wants to apply to study Businees Administration at the UvA for next academic year. ‘I thought that my time at the UvA, and growing up, would be the best time of my life, but everything changed when Russia attacked Ukraine.’
When the war broke out, Iryna was in Austria where she did a three-year course. However, her family, including her mother, sister and grandmother were in Ukraine at the time, just 200 kilometers away from the front lines. They have since fled, to the Polish city of Krakow.
Her idea of her college days has changed, but Iryna does think studying will help her. ‘I'm looking forward to meeting new people and gaining new knowledge. Maybe I can also use it to rebuild my country and improve the world in general. I believe that Ukraine can overcome this situation in the near future and succeed in rebuilding everything. Unfortunately, the lives lost in this war cannot be brought back.’
Initiatives
Marta Rudzynska (18) will study media and culture at the UvA this year. She thinks that the situation in Ukraine will make focusing on her studies difficult. This is also because of the financial consequences she is experiencing because of the war. For example, her father can no longer send her money because his salary has been reduced by 50 percent.
In addition to her studies, Marta works as a volunteer for the Ukrainians in the Netherlands Foundation. This is a non-profit organization where she helps organize demonstrations for Ukraine and disseminate information about the war. It is important to keep talking about the war, otherwise, people will forget what is going on.
