Ukraine on Focus

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article below are that of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views of Gazeta

Interview with Ana, a 21-year-old college student and Ukrainian refugee

Sarah Lage

Many of you know about Anastasia Mishchenko, my dear Ukrainian internet friend. In the spring of 2022, I started a fundraiser for her when she was forced to flee Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion began and, with the help of professors, students, and friends of William & Mary–especially the Russian department–we raised over $900 for Anastasia and her mother. In the past, I have often referred to her as Nastya but, since taking root in another country (you will learn more about this below), she has begun to go by Ana, so this is how I will refer to her from now on.

Although I’m sure some of you may be tired of this topic, I felt it important to interview her– this will be a college student speaking to fellow college students. As American news channels begin to shift their focus to other matters, it is vital that we all continue to keep Ukraine close in heart and mind; we cannot become complacent. Further, some people (including myself sometimes) find it difficult to become emotionally invested in issues that do not immediately concern or affect themselves or their loved ones. Many of us have also, unfortunately, become desensitized to violence. Often, we need to “put a face to the name” when it comes to difficult situations which may be foreign to us. My hope is that this interview accomplishes that. Please meet Ana, and read her answers to some questions about her experience as a Ukrainian refugee below.

Before you were forced to flee Ukraine, what was your life like?

I was a nerd no-lifer and my main hobbie[s were] baking, reading, and studying, but I had friends and a cat and familiar places.

Tell us about the path you’ve taken since fleeing Ukraine. Have you had to live in multiple places? Where are you now?

I fled on the second day [of the full-scale invasion], so I have not been victimized personally in any way. I am among the minority of Ukrainians who have never heard an explosion. But I was evacuating for three days. We waited 12 hours in a western Ukrainian train station and we could only enter the train [on] the third attempt because of how full it was. Everyone tried to enter the train to cross the border and people were sleeping on the train station floor and stuff like that. The train stayed in western Ukraine for 30 hours for safety reasons, full of people and their children. One woman noticed that I started a book after I [entered] the train, and by the time we crossed the border I was already finishing [it]. The book was Madame Bovary. 

People from western parts of Ukraine had food to give to those who were fleeing. I was kind of stressed and I can only eat sweets when I’m stressed, so I asked if I could have sweets and she gave me a bag of cookies. And they had sweet black tea, my comfort [drink]. I remember saying that I have never eaten anything better. I think lots of Ukrainians have said that within the last year about the most random things due to emotional reasons and hunger.

So we fled to Poland. We were staying for a month in the house of my sister’s friend’s fiance’s family. Back then it was unconditional support and lots of free stuff. I don’t know how it is now because Ukrainian immigrants’ lives are much more stable and consistent now after a whole year. 

Then I moved to Austria. And during my time there (April to August 2022) I was looking for places to continue my studies. I was looking for a place to enroll with a nuclear reactor in my head and flames out of my a**. You could see me on a couch with a laptop and the most wicked [facial] expression [at] any given moment. In July, I finally got accepted to Kuehne Logistics University in Hamburg, Germany and I received a 36.000 euro scholarship. Capitalists helped everyone as always. So I moved to Hamburg in August to continue my studies and I have been here since.

Did your family flee as well? 

During the first month my mom and grandmother fled together as well. They went to Austria and they have found people who would host them; they are a family who have a winery. They still host my family in their small empty apartment. Extremely lucky, extremely grateful. 

What do you miss most about Ukraine?

What I miss most: my friends, their cats, my sense of belonging and random places from my hometown. Literally I live my day and then remember precisely [the] most random places like shops or trade schools I walked past and never went to and I begin to want to be there so bad.

What has been the hardest part of relocating to and living in Germany?

I don’t have anything interesting to answer. I could just start complaining. Many of my fellow immigrants would. But I am physically unable to because my life is not hard.

From what you’ve seen and heard, what do Americans not understand about the invasion?

It’s not Putin’s war. He is not even the problem. He is not even the worst person there. People who call themselves, like, anti-Putin [often] have problems with [Putin’s] inner decisions, not the war. Being anti-Putin does not make you anti-invasion. I’ve seen Russian “liberals” saying that Putin is the most guilty, AZOV (national guard of Ukraine) is the second most guilty, and NATO is the third most guilty. AZOV is a right-wing military regiment. We like them. Russians are like, “let’s invade Ukraine because AZOV are Nazis.” Half of Ukraine is mentally AZOV now, much more nationalist than last year– I mean it in a good way.

There is no such thing as ordinary Russian or extraordinary Russian. Would you consider an idealistic imperialist soldier ordinary Russian? How about a drafted man? How about a propaganda editor? How about a programmer who blocks the news about massacres from their search engines? I’ve seen an interview [with] a propaganda editor who was just whining about her life: “We have written sh*t about Ukraine for years but we never knew the invasion would happen. I wish I could write for a liberal media but they don’t invite me.” 

Or Russians who respond to news about destroyed cities and people’s deaths like, “would it be better for you if I killed myself after seeing this?” They are not victims of their propaganda. They are the propaganda. There are literally patriots who are anti-Putin because he is not aggressive enough, and effective, and “if he was a strong leader he would already nuke Ukranians. And Americans.” And they are still anti-Putin. Almost everyone in Russia is anti-Putin– that doesn’t make them better. If they call themselves anti-Putin, they could be a liberal who blame[s] Ukrainian right-wing organizations that need to be “de-nazified.” And they could also be ultra-patriots who want to burn the whole country (Ukraine) and think [Putin] is not aggressive enough.

And we don’t want any Russian peace. Our only term and condition is victory. Because Russian peace is occupation, mass graves, and torture rooms. When a Russian says they are for peace it means “just give us your lands, the war causes me an inconvenience.”

If you were given the opportunity to tell American college students one thing about your experience, what would you tell them?

Receiving this. That’s the thing.