War is imminent and not even the vast thousands of kilometers of distance between Portugal and Ukraine can ease the concern. Ukrainians residing in the Algarve are apprehensive about the tense atmosphere in their country of origin. In mind, they have family members and the threat of a conflict they don't want.
Igor Korbeliak is the president of the Association of Ukrainians in the Algarve and the face of fear.
Every hour can be decisive; every day, crucial.
In conversation with Sul Informação, says that «the great concern» expressed by Ukrainians residing in the Algarve are «our family members who live in Ukraine».
“As there is a lot of uncertainty, we never really know what to do. I myself have a family in Kiev, in the capital, and the future is very uncertain,” she says.
Although it is «difficult» to quantify the number of Ukrainians living in the Algarve region, Igor Korbeliak estimates that there are «between 3 and 5 thousand». The association has about 100 members.
Last Sunday, February 20, some gathered in a vigil, in front of the Honorary Consulate of Russia in the Algarve, in Vilamoura, in an act of demonstration that was also repeated, with other groups of Ukrainians, in several Portuguese cities.
«We think this is wrong: what is happening violates all international rules», accuses Igor Korbeliak, who has lived in Portugal for 22 years and is a micro-entrepreneur in civil construction.
Vlamidir Putin, President of Russia, recognized, last Monday, the independence of Donestsk and Lugansk, in the Donbass region, a decision that has already deserved sanctions from the European Union, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
The president of the Association of Ukrainians in the Algarve knows cases of compatriots who are already studying solutions, in case the war really advances.
«People are worried and I know of some who are trying to convince the family to come to Portugal, if the situation gets even worse», he reports.
It is, nevertheless, a scenario that no Ukrainian wants.
“Our hope is that there will be no war, for the lives that would be lost: both ours and Russians”, concludes Igor.
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