Slava Grinchenko anxiously takes calls on his WhatsApp, hoping to get some help. The young Ukrainian is one of the 17 citizens of the war-torn country who came to India early this year. However, the grim situation back home after Russia attacked their country in February this year, has made life difficult for them with each passing day.
“Our visa is coming to an end. We are running out of funds. We have no idea how to survive (in India),” Slava said when News18 met the group at a small guesthouse close to the banks of the Ganga River.
An engineer by profession, Slava also heads the group consisting of members from as young as 10 years to the age of 60. He adds: “A few of us have got visa extension but others are awaiting. We approached the Ukrainian embassy in New Delhi but they too have constraints.”
Many first-time visitors to India
The Ukrainian group is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON), which boasts of both Russian and Ukrainian followers.
The 26 members started for India from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on February 8 and were supposed to leave India on March 5. Discussing the war, they said Ukrainians hardly believed that Russia would launch an attack despite growing tensions between both the nations.
There was no war when the group left Ukraine but within weeks, everything had changed. While a few of the members had visited India in the past, other first-timers were excited to explore the country.
Post-war, after the tickets were cancelled for the March 5 flight, nine members somehow managed to leave India and went to other European nations, leaving behind 17 members who are hopping between New Delhi, Vrindavan, and Rishikesh.
Nataltalia, a housewife, shares she is “extremely worried” about her relatives back home. “Besides, we are hardly left with any money. It’s a double whammy for us,” she says in broken English.
It costs around $700 to reach Ukraine via Poland. While lakhs have left Ukraine or are on the way out to take shelter in other countries, the stranded group says it wants to spend time with relatives back home.
Businesses suffered but hope for education
Two young members of the group — 10-year-old Nicole and 15-year-old Giriraj (Indian name given by his parents) — say they miss their school and classmates but are satisfied that the online mode of education keeps them connected to their respective schools.
For hotel owner Yuri, it’s a difficult time. Yuri’s hotel — which is jointly owned by his wife — is located at a place in the Carpathian Mountains range. Before the war, the family would earn a decent income but now business has come to a standstill.
“My hotel has been converted into a shelter house. Nonetheless, we are happy that even though away from home, we are contributing in some way. We are hopeful business will be as usual after the war ends”.
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