Krasnopillia, Sumy region. A thick fog descends on the streets and houses of this small town. A group of people are waiting in front of the entrance of a building. There are Ukrainian soldiers next to them, loudly explaining what they need to do inside. They have tired, exhausted faces. They are full of bags, backpacks, bags. Basic needs for travel.
We are in the north of Ukraine and here, at the Kolotylivka-Pokrovka border crossing between the Belgorod region of Russia and the Sumy region of Ukraine, there is the only place in the government where Ukrainians from areas temporarily occupied by the Russians can pass. controlled Free Ukraine. People who traveled thousands of kilometers in three long days of travel. Many are women. And then the elderly, children and some young people. In the no man’s land between the two towns is a woman in a wheelchair being pushed by her daughter for nearly two kilometres. A road in the middle of the forest.
Foreign Ukrainians in their own homes
More than 10,000 people have entered Ukraine through the Kolotylivka-Pokrovka border crossing since it became operational in August. While at least 5 million Ukrainians live in Russian-occupied territories, 3 to 5 million Ukrainians, including 260,000 to 700,000 children, were deported to Russia. After Moscow launched its large-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine officially closed all border crossings with Russia and Belarus. For several months, in some places IDPs managed to cross the front line from Russian-occupied territories towards Ukraine; they often ran the risk of detention or death from bombing; but the last of these routes, the southern Zaporizhzhya region, was closed last autumn. Since then, the only official option remaining for Ukrainians wishing to return from Russia or Russian-controlled territory is a long and expensive journey to Europe via Russia by sea or land from occupied Crimea, and then via Belarus, the Baltic states or Georgia. It was like wandering around. However, in recent months the more direct route to Ukraine via the Kolotylivka-Pokrovka crossing point has gained popularity. According to Ukrainian officials, more than 100 people pass through here every day and more than 10,000 have used it since August. There is no official agreement between Kiev and Moscow, and in terms of international law, the crossing is a humanitarian corridor, not a border gate. At least a hundred Russians pass through here on foot every day: Russia banned driving by car in retaliation for cross-border attacks on Belgorod in May.
Katryna Arisoi is the founder of Pluriton, a non-governmental organization that helps these people by providing psychological, legal and humanitarian assistance.
The only border gate between Russia and Ukraine
Katryna explains: “We help these people return to Ukraine. We meet them at the border after they pass the filtering camps where they are controlled by the Russian intelligence services, and once they pass the gray zone we welcome them. A place where you can find warmth, food, medical and psychological support. Here you can also find “We have disabled facilities and an area for children. We help people find accommodation, register families, get help with money and social services. Come here without documents and we will do our best to get them back immediately.” Inside the building, people are waiting for the police to be called. Their photos are taken and recorded, then their bags are checked in another room. It’s time to stop, change clothes wet from the rain and go to Sumy. The station has special evacuation trains going to Kiev and Kharkiv. Katryna is also a refugee, she knows very well what it means to leave everything and start over somewhere else. The city of Bakhmut no longer exists. “I’m thirty-six years old and I’ve been lucky enough to have lived a very interesting and successful life. And now I feel like I’m destroyed. You lose your belongings, your home, everything you own. You also lose your social status. I was a very well-known person in Bakhmut, a lot of political and social “I took part in the activity, and then suddenly you find yourself thrown into another city, as a refugee, where you don’t know anyone. Nobody knows you, and you have to start all over again.”
Starting from scratch is not easy for anyone. It’s the same feeling described by 56-year-old Iskender from Melitopol. Entrepreneur in the railway sector, his widow and daughter are waiting for him in Kiev. He resisted as much as he could, then decided to leave. He did not want to cooperate with the invaders and had no other way to survive. “Would you be able to start a new life after giving up everything you love and leaving with just a backpack, knowing that your home and everything you know, that your whole life is made up of loves and memories, that you have to leave behind? Maybe you’ll never see it again?” Alexander asks as his voice cracks and his gaze shifts to the wall to hide his tears.
Katryna accompanies a group of newcomers to the canteen. It feels like being in a monastery where people sit quietly and eat. Everyone speaks in a low voice. Perhaps a sincere respect for those in front of them and for those who, although they have been companions in this final process, do not know the full burden of pain. “Melitopol was a very beautiful city. We had everything. Then the Russians came and said they had to release us. I speak Ukrainian, not Russian. Release us! One day they entered my house and took me for interrogation. They beat me; they said that I was a spy and that something was happening from the balcony of the house. “They said I took a photo. I was texting my daughter and telling her that the weather was bad, I sent a photo. Then they arrested me and beat me.”
Having finished the paperwork, they are waiting for volunteers to go to Sumy. From there he will continue his journey. Many return to their home regions, perhaps standing just a few miles from where they started, to reach relatives and friends they have not seen in a long time because they are separated by a barrier of fire and steel. They are free now.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
