Category: Fragmented Lives
Fragmented Lives: Exploring the Diverse Experiences and Impacts of Ukrainian Displacement
The Russian full-scale invasion against Ukraine triggered mass internal and external displacement of its residents – one of the biggest forced migrations in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian citizens and foreigners alike had diverse experiences along their displacement journeys depending on their family, economic, or health situation, their route of escape and country of destination, their networks of support in the new place, their obligations, and “anchors” back in Ukraine. All these factors also impact return aspirations of the displaced or the lack thereof as the level of uncertainty about when and how the war will end – the “waiting loop” continues.
In this series, we invite authors to reflect on the heterogeneous experiences of displacement in Europe: not only Ukrainians, but also citizens of other countries forced to flee their homelands. We are interested in contributions that analyse mid and long-term consequences of Ukrainian and other forced migration on social cohesion within the EU, its impact on the displaced themselves, host communities, and the wider region. The questions of return, circular migration, diaspora policies, secondary movements within the EU and integration are also in our focus, as we need to understand points of synergy and the points of potential conflicts between different migrant and diaspora groups, between the newcomers and the host communities.
The series stems from the research project “War, Migration and Memory” directed by Dr Viktoria Sereda and conducted through the PRISMA UKRAЇNA program at the Forum Transregionale Studien in Berlin. Contributions will include texts written by the project’s current fellows and invited authors.
We also invite further contributions that touch on these issues or open them up from a comparative perspective. Scholars, practitioners, and current postgraduate students are welcome to submit their texts. If you are interested in contributing, please send a short proposal (title and abstract of up to 300 words) to prisma@trafo-berlin.de. If you have further questions regarding the possible topics, timelines, and requirements, please contact the editor of the blog series – Dr Lidia Kuzemska via kuli@trafo-berlin.de. Further information on guidelines for contributing can be found here.
By Kamil Łuczaj. What is it like to flee your home overnight and rebuild life in a stranger’s house? For many Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Poland after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the answer is woven with fear, resilience, and unexpected acts of kindness. But how do they remember those first chaotic weeks – and what stories do they choose to tell? This post dives into the narratives of 30 Ukrainian war refugees who found temporary refuge in Polish households. Through interviews conducted in 2023, it explores how they recount their journeys – from the moment the invasion began to their experiences settling into a new, unfamiliar space. While every story is unique, common threads emerge: the shock of displacement, the challenges of adapting to a new culture, and the fragile hope of rebuilding life from scratch.
By Marthe Handå Myhre and Oleksandra Deineko. Since February 2022, thousands of Ukrainians have fled to Europe. Despite the fact that all three Skandinavian countries grant Ukrainian refugees residence permit, the distinct national integration policies continue to shape the everyday life of Ukrainian refugees and their possibilities for integration into the labor market. What signals have the three countries been sending to the Ukrainian refugees through their integration measures, and how does it affect the integration of Ukrainians? Between February and July 2024, the authors conducted interviews with Ukrainian refugees in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, gaining insight into the challenges they are grappling within the three countries resulting from the respective national policies.
By Taisiia Ratushna. Social media and digital platforms have considerably facilitated access to information for Ukrainian migrants. They actively use messengers and thematic groups to keep in touch with relatives, receive news, and discuss issues related to migration and integration in a new environment. Constantly monitoring news on social media allows Ukrainian migrants not only to stay informed about events in the country but also to maintain an emotional connection with home. However, constant engagement with Ukrainian news and communities may slow integration into host societies, as it reinforces emotional ties to their homeland.
By Alexander Sicheneder. The decision to return for many Ukrainians is driven by a combination of emotional-political, social, and economic factors. To fully harness the potential of its diaspora for post-war recovery, Ukraine must adopt a holistic approach that addresses the economic and social needs of its returnees while cultivating a shared sense of purpose in the country’s reconstruction efforts. By doing so, Ukraine can turn the tragedy of displacement into an opportunity for renewal and growth.
By Natalia Zaitseva-Chipak. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European countries have become home to millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to migrate because of the war. Some countries, in particular Germany, have launched unprecedented support and social protection programmes for internally displaced persons, offering housing, social benefits, language courses. Yet, a significant number of Ukrainian women choose to live in Ukraine. Some of them become internally displaced, while others live (and even return from abroad) in the frontline regions, which are constantly hit by missiles and drones.
By Lidia Kuzemska. We are quickly approaching the third anniversary of forced displacement from Ukraine due to the Russian full-scale invasion – a tragic benchmark no one wanted to believe in, let alone reach. I think it is time to reflect on how the situation related to the displacement of Ukrainians abroad has evolved during this period, and what trends can be expected in the near future. With this introductory post, I invite you to a conversation about the complex and entangled puzzle of Ukrainian displacement. At the heart of it are fragmented lives of 6.7mln Ukrainians currently displaced abroad and 3.7mln inside the country. Their lives are punctuated not only by the fact of displacement per se, but also by the changing policies and attitudes of their host and home countries and societies, by strained cross-border family dynamics and blurred future aspirations.