Western Ukraine holds on while welcoming refugees from eastern regions

My trip to Ukraine this summer was highlighted by visiting the IMariupol center in Rivne.

By Natalia Dagenhart

From my notes on my way to Ukraine:

“I just had to go to Ukraine. When I ordered my tickets to Poland and back (I also knew I had to take a bus to Ukraine from Poland), I felt that there would never be a better time. I mean, we don’t know when there will be a better time because of the war. I have relatives there, very close relatives. They live in the town of Rivne (Rovno), which is located close to Poland and Belorussia. I decided that if they can go through it, I can too."

“I always valued peace. I always wished peace to everyone. Now, sitting at the airport and thinking about going to a country that is at war, I value it even more.”

“I saw a few Ukrainian people at the airport who were getting on the same plane with me. I spoke with one Ukrainian woman, she told me that her son has been living in America for 7 years already, and that she came to visit him. She can’t move to America because her elderly mother lives in Ukraine and can’t go anywhere, so she can’t leave her alone there, especially in those difficult conditions.”

“I am on a bus now. It’s late at night. The bus is full of people. Everyone is asleep. It’s dark and quiet. Our ride will go through Lviv. I am trying to nap.”

From my notes while being in Ukraine:

“It’s Friday, June 23. I can hear an air raid siren now. We are inside. It’s almost 11 p.m. It was raining today, and it was thundering today, and now the siren is screaming loud. A few days ago, we were walking through one of the central squares of the town and it was full of people. Suddenly, an air raid siren came on. It was very loud, I mean, really loud. We kept walking. I looked at the faces of the people around us. I saw stoicism in their faces. Women, children, older people looked calm and strong. Nobody smiled, but also nobody looked panicky. I heard they got used to it. I didn’t. Yet.”

Photo: The town of Rivne, Ukraine. Photo by Natalia Dagenhart

Yes, it’s one of the things that is good about Rivne, the town that I visited in Western Ukraine, that it’s mostly Okay there. There are tons of people on the streets, the stores and the restaurants are open (besides when people must go outside of the stores during the sirens), businesses are functioning. If it wouldn’t be for air raid sirens and frequent memorial services on the central square devoted to people who died in this war, one might think that the town lives a peaceful life. Yes, things happened here too. Yes, there is always a threat of something happening at any moment. But, I mean, it’s relatively nice and calm compared to some other areas and towns of the country.

One of them is Mariupol, which was founded in 1779. Once, it was a beautiful city with half a million people. Really beautiful. But it’s gone. I mean, it’s gone almost completely. I met people from Mariupol, and here is how it happened and how it led to a closer acquaintance.

Photo: Painting by a 12 year old artist from Mariupol Artem Timanchuk. Photo by Natalia Dagenhart

As a journalist who is mostly interested in writing about cultural events, I am particularly interested in theatrical and musical productions. Once, during my stay in Rivne, I was browsing through local news (yes, I can read Ukrainian, although it’s not my first language) and found an article that said that there would be an interesting poetry production in one of the local theaters. The title of the article on Rivne1.tv stated that a poetic event called “Mariupol.Live” prepared by Mariupol Theater of the Author Play “Conception” will take place on June 25 at the Rivne Puppet Theater.

Of course, I was interested in attending it. Of course, I attended it. Of course, it was hard for everyone in the audience to hear the verses about Mariupol and not cry. The poetry written by Valeriya (Nava) Subotina, Oksana Stomina, Olga Demidko, Petro Maga, and Dmytro Gritcenko described the realities of the people of Mariupol during the war and demonstrated their strength.

The author of the project is Oleksiy Gnatyuk, Director of the Mariupol Theater of the Author Play “Conception.” The theater was founded in 2019 in Mariupol. Before the war, the actors from this theater had performed literally on all the stages of their beautiful city. Now, they were invited to present their poetic event in Rivne, among other towns. The event was greeted with deep appreciation and followed by a round of applause.

Photo: Actors from the Mariupol Theater of the Author Play “Conception.” Photo by Natalia Dagenhart

Of course, I wanted to talk to somebody after the performance. I found a great lady who told me a lot about this poetic event and invited me to a center for the Mariupol refugees located in the central part of Rivne. Her name is Irina Sumyatina and she is a public relations specialist at the center called IMariupol.Rivne.

“Through culture, people don’t only return to life, but they also integrate into the local community of the town of Rivne,” said Irina Sumyatina. Irina helps to organize and participates in various cultural events and happenings around the town.

This poetic event was very important for Irina and other people who work and volunteer at the center. They put all their heart and soul into helping refugees. Now, IMariupol.Rivne center has almost 960 refugees registered in it, among them are at least 150 children. The center was started on November 11, 2022, and since then the refugees from Mariupol started getting well-organized and coordinated help. Before that, they got help from various churches and other organizations.

IMariupol.Rivne center is not the only center in Ukraine that helps refugees from that town. There are 17 large towns and cities in Ukraine that have their own little Mariupol.

Photo: left to right: Irina Sumyatina, Bohdan Duzhik, Natalia Dagenhart, Marina Fesenko

At the center, I also met Marina Fesenko, who is a culture curator of the center. She told me that Department of Culture from Kiev called her and helped to arrange that poetic event. The Rivne Puppet Theater was given to the actors from Mariupol for free.

“Mariupol became a brand; that brand became a symbol of indestructibility,” said Marina. “The citizens of Rivne are really impressed by the speed with which the citizens of Mariupol integrate into the cultural life of Rivne.”

Marina was happy to tell me about their center and its main goals. She said that the Mariupol refugees are coming there lost and hopeless, but after getting social, psychological, humanitarian, and jurisdictional help at that center they feel more optimistic and ready to keep living their lives. The center also helps refugees to find jobs and get places to live, including free rooms in dormitories and in the villages surrounding the town.

If Mariupol refugees lost their documents, the lawyer of the center, Natalia Singur, helps them to restore their documents. She also gives refugees administrative support and helps them to get compensations in various situations, particularly if their property was completely destroyed.

Photo: Director of IMariupol.Rivne center Bohdan Duzhik, and independent journalist Natalia Dagenhart

I also was lucky to meet the director of IMariupol.Rivne center, Bohdan Duzhik. “We dream and act at the same time,” said Duzhik. He gave me a tour around the center and showed me different rooms, such as a room where people get psychological help, a room where people get medical assistance, and several others.

Bohdan also showed me banners and talked about various projects that they work on. One of them is Mariupol Reborn. It’s an international project that has a genuine vision to build a new town on the ruins of the old one.

According to The Guardian, the project gets funding from Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian business leader, and from such organizations as USAid and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

People from all over the world can participate in rebuilding Mariupol, and hopefully the city will again look beautiful and stunning, as it used to.

While taking a tour across the center, I also saw shelves that were full of bread loaves. The whole place looked warm and welcoming. I had a great feeling visiting it.

The city of Mariupol is gone, but its spirit is still alive. My trip to Ukraine helped me to understand many things, and one of them is to never give up. Never.

Natalia Dagenhart

Photo: Natalia Dagenhart in Rivne, Ukraine. Summer 2023.

P.S. While writing this article, the author used https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/20/mariupol-exiled-leaders-look-to-the-future-with-plans-to-rebuild-ukraine for factual references.