Laura Lopez | Segovia (EFE).- When the Ukrainian family made up of the Andriy and Olga couple and their daughter Sofía, who have been living in Segovia for eight years, look back, they cannot remember a month in which they have not received bad news from their country for the loss of a friend or acquaintance, but they maintain hope about the prompt outcome of the conflict: “Ukraine has already won”.
“We are convinced that Ukraine has already won because Russia lost with this military invasion of another country, that was its main mistake and Ukraine has received support from the whole world in its intention to obtain freedom and independence,” he commented in an interview with the EFE Agency the father of the family.
His relatives are safe, but friends and acquaintances of his have not survived: “We feel that he is getting closer and closer and closer, that is what we did not imagine a year ago, that someone we knew was going to die in this war without sense”, Andriy lamented.
A year ago, in another interview with EFE, this 46-year-old Ukrainian with no military or weapons experience expressed his willingness to return to his country to fight.
Now he recounts that, despite the “resistance” of his family, who “did not even want to accept this thought”, he contacted the mobilization center to which he belongs in Kiev and showed his willingness to join those who were there. struggling.
When they found out that he was in Spain, they told him that there were enough people there to be called and that it was better to wait: “President (Volodimir) Zelenski has a very prudent policy, trying to protect every life, that’s why he gives priority to people who have military experience”, explained Andriy.
Ukrainian Association of Segovia
Faced with the impotence of seeing themselves “waiting” in Segovia, where they have lived for eight years now, they decided to take action from this city and associated with other compatriots: “I don’t know if thanks to this war or unfortunately, we found out that no we are alone here in Segovia”, he commented.
Together with them they formed the Ukrainian Association of Segovia, with which in the last year they have collected enough humanitarian material to send four trucks to their country, raised about 10,000 euros and bought an ambulance, which they sent to Nikopol and now serves to evacuate soldiers. wounded.
“I think we did a lot of work and I don’t know if I would have been as effective there as here… Of course, we think every day and we always have the feeling that there was something we didn’t do, that we could do more”, explained Andriy.
They have also welcomed three refugee families into their home in Los Ángeles de San Rafael and accompanied many others when they go to the doctor, to school or to do a job interview: “There are many different stories and each story is an small tragedy”, he lamented.
“We don’t have another Ukraine”
Regarding the resistance capacity of his people, Andriy stated that it was what he expected: “We were not surprised because I believe that every Ukrainian knew what was going to happen if they did not fight and defend their country, because we do not have another Ukraine, We don’t have another country to flee to”, he explained.
What has astonished them is that this war has caused people in their country to become more supportive and united than ever: “My parents are what they say, that people who don’t know them offer help on the street,” has reported.
Also during this last year this family has been “encouraged” and comforted by the support of the international community for their country, especially with news such as the shipment from countries like Spain of Leopard tanks, which for them is crucial.
“There are opinions that the supply of weapons only heats up the conflict, but it is not a conflict, it is a military invasion by Russia of an independent country,” defends the father of the family, who works as a salesperson in a Segovian company dedicated to manufacturing packaging. of glass.
A year without happy endings
Sofía, who is twenty years old and studies at the Complutense University of Madrid, has acknowledged to Efe that at the beginning of the invasion she thought that the conflict would last “a few months” and she did not imagine that a year later she would continue to receive this type of news about his friends and none with “a happy ending”.
He has also acknowledged that, at the beginning of this conflict, he had “much more hopes” that the Russian population was going to “rise up” or “do something” against this war, but now he regrets that they have not been “able to resist and to form their own opinion” to show their rejection.
The young woman is very active in the association that organizes humanitarian aid from Segovia and has commented, for people who want to help, that it is best to find out beforehand what the needs are at each moment on the social networks and website of each organization or donate money so that they can manage it according to priorities. EFE
