Ukrainians prefer to return to their country from Israel (AFP)
Middle East
They preferred to endure the scourge of war in their homeland after leaving it in search of safety
“How difficult it is to escape from one war to another… but if I die, at least I will be at home.” This is what the Ukrainian refugees in Israel say, having fled their country with the start of the conflict. Russian military operation more than a year ago.
These refugees thought that fleeing to Israel would guarantee them a safe life away from Russian attacks, but they found themselves in the middle of another war, but this time they preferred to return to their homeland despite the war, stressing that it was “safer than Israel , and that even if they were killed, they would be in their homeland.”
Tatiana Kosheva, for example, fled her home in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv after last year’s Russian-Ukrainian war and took refuge in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, near Gaza.
Her husband had worked in Israel in the past, so she thought escaping there with their three children would ensure a safe life away from Russian attacks.
But on October 7, the moment came when Hamas carried out the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack, to which Israel responded with continuous and bloody bombing, which has since caused the death of thousands of people.
Like thousands of other Ukrainian refugees, Kosheva was once again forced to flee the war.
War is still part of daily life in Kharkiv, as although Ukraine has full control, the city is subject to repeated Russian attacks. Mermaids have become part of everyday life.
But Kosheva is relieved to be back, saying: “When I walk here, it is my homeland and my flag. I don’t know how to express it but I feel happy.”
Kiev reported that around 4,000 Ukrainians left Israel after the Hamas attack.
Anna Lyashko and her daughter (AFP)
“It looks exactly the same”
In the capital Kiev, Anna Lyashko and her eight-year-old daughter Diana returned from Israel, where they fled in March last year, weeks after the war began in Russia.
The mother, 28, says they lived near areas of Kiev that fell to Russian forces at the start of the attack, without “electricity, water and communications”.
She added: “My daughter was very afraid and decided to leave” and decided to move with her daughter to Israel, where she has relatives.
But when the Hamas attack occurred last month, his memory went back to the day of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Oksana Sokolova (AFP)
“Kiev is quieter than Tel Aviv”
From her office across the Dnipro River in Kiev, Oksana Sokolovska confirms that she thought Israel would be “the safest country in the world” when she fled there to escape the Russian war.
Like many women with children, the 39-year-old lawyer left Ukraine with her three children when the war began last year.
“I had no right to put their lives in danger,” he said.
Because he speaks Hebrew, he chose Israel and resided with his children in Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv.
“If I die, at least I will be in my home country,” the 39-year-old said.
When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Kosheva spent ten days hiding in a bunker in Kharkiv, which almost fell into the hands of the Russian army.
Five months after the war in Russia, the family fled to Israel, where they began a new life in Ashkelon, located about 10 kilometers from Gaza.
When Hamas launched its surprise attack, which Israeli authorities say cost the lives of around 1,200 people, and Israel responded to the attack by launching a military operation against the Gaza Strip, which Hamas says killed over 11,000 people so far, felt he had to go.
“My hands started shaking and I remembered the same feeling I had when it all started in our country,” he said.
“I must return”
Kosheva returned to spend nights in the shelter, only to once again remember the sound of sirens and explosions. Then, she decided that she had to run away.
“When the situation got worse, I started to panic,” he said, adding: “I was scared. I realized I had to go back.”
The family was evacuated to central Israel where they stayed for a few days before returning to Kharkiv but, like the others, spent October 7 in a shelter with their children.
He said: “Massive bombing has begun,” and because of this he quickly decided to leave Israel. He told Agence France-Presse: “It’s difficult to escape from one war to another,” but confirmed that he feels happy to return.
“The situation in Kiev is currently calmer than in Israel,” he said, almost two years after the war in Russia, adding: “This is the only reason that pushed me to return.”