Emigrussia: How to become a Ukrainian

In Kyiv, a project of assistance to Russians who wish to receive asylum in Ukraine started in Kiev

On the last day of May, a group of activists in Kyiv, including emigrants from Russia, announced the launch of the Emigrussia project, created on the basis of the Free Russia Foundation. Visually, the project is a portal dedicated to the legalization and socialization of Russian political emigrants in Ukraine, Emigerssia.org .

In 2015, according to the State Migration Service of Ukraine, 86 Russians were asked for political asylum in this country, only four received a positive answer. The UN Department of the UN Affairs of Refugees has several other data: in 2014, 140 Russians asked for asylum to the Ukrainian authorities, for the first half of 2015 - about fifty, but in any case the percentage of those who were allowed to stay so small that it is not even taken into account in statistics. Although President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko publicly announced the need to simplify the procedure for obtaining asylum for those Russians who support Ukraine on the issue of the annexation of Crimea and the war in the east of the country. Meanwhile, the problem of political emigrants from Russia, who are trying to legalize in Ukraine, apparently, will only aggravate - along with an increase in their number during the Russian election campaign.

In February 2015, a bill was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada to simplify the procedure for receiving asylum for foreigners who took part in the fighting in the ATO zone on the Ukrainian side, as well as for those who were persecuted for defending the interests of Ukraine, including territorial integrity, abroad. Since that time, the bill has passed only the first reading.

The Ukrainian side is not ready to receive these people, and no one is actively involved in solving their problems - from employment, while the process of obtaining refugee status lasts (and this can reach for more than a year), until the decision to give out this status and who does not. At the same time, many negative decisions of the Migration Service of Ukraine look unmotivated.

The Emigrussia project, as its organizers hope, will help change the situation for the better. The site already has a section with a detailed description of how to act in order to get permanent residence or citizenship, based on Ukrainian origin, how to get a refugee status or legalize, for example, as a volunteer.

- This is our new project in Ukraine, aimed at providing support and assistance to political emigrants and refugees. We will give recommendations on how to properly submit documents for refugee status, how to cross the border, how to talk with employees of the local migration service. There are a large number of people who flee from Russia for political reasons. Someone runs literally with fields, someone is "civilian." But these people often make stupid mistakes because they do not know how the institution of asylum works, and are not familiar with local human rights activists who can help them, ” Grigory Frolov, director of the development director of the Free Russia Foundation, explained the goal of the project.

There are a large number of people who run from Russia for political reasons

The Free Russia Foundation was created several years ago by Russian emigrants in Washington. Of the projects that the Fund has already implemented, is an representation of the interests of Nadezhda Savchenko in the United States, the release of the English version of the reports Putin. War and the Threat of National Security . The Fund considers the assistance to Russian democratic movements, assistance to political prisoners and the fight against propaganda.

In addition to appealing to those Russians who want to go to Ukraine, primarily in connection with the events in the Crimea and Donbass, the organizers of Emigrussia also hope to explain to the Ukrainians who comes to them and why. The problem of the perception of Russians, even publicly claiming the support of Ukraine and its integrity, is quite acute in Kyiv. The project manager Julia Arkhipova , who emigrated to Ukraine in October 2015, herself faced aggressive reactions when she participated in public actions in Kiev. “There is no need to teach us to live if you came from another country,” Ukrainian users on social networks often declare to Russian emigrants. “One thing is the image of the diaspora in general, and another thing is that everyone is free to build their behavior, relations with people on their own. We can tell you which topics are better not to discuss, why someone can take it negatively. Perhaps we will need to expand the project, including the topic of communication ethics,” Arkhipova suggested.

- The fact is that today in Russia none of those who go to stocks actively expresses its civil and political position in real life or on the Internet, participates in election campaigns, and is not safe from criminal prosecution. We consider it important to provide these people with the necessary and sufficient information about how the procedure for obtaining asylum or legal emigration to Ukraine looks like, ”explained Emigrussia head. According to her, from among those who moved to Ukraine after the Maidan, only a few returned back:

- Even obviously, a political criminal case against you in Russia is far from a guarantee of obtaining such a status. Consideration of the application and appeal of the decisions of the migration service last for years, while employment with the status of asylum seeker is difficult. The no less difficult situation from those who went to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine: they promised them, but they were not given citizenship, they don’t give refugee status either, but only a Ukrainian passport or refugee status can save a person from extradition or deportation if he had a criminal case for “mercenary” in Russia. For those who are trying to legalize through territorial origin, marriage or employment, there are practically no problems if a person is able to collect and submit all the necessary documents in time.

They promised them citizenship, but not given, the status of a refugee also does not give

Emigrussia activists talk about help, first of all, for political emigrants. At the same time, they are not going to take responsibility for who are considered to be such.

- When we are talking about the criminal prosecution of activists, we are talking about unfinished, politically motivated matters. This is easily confirmed through the "memorial" and other Russian human rights organizations that monitor the situation. We are not ready to become an organization that will give someone the status of a political refugee. We rather want to establish the process of exchange of information between Russian and Ukrainian human rights organizations, ”said Grigory Frolov.

There are a lot of stories of inexplicable decisions of the Ukrainian migration service. Some activists who came from Russia and have not received permission to stay legally in the country, continue to support Ukraine, organize projects directed against Kremlin propaganda or, for example, investigate the war crimes of the Russian army. Despite this, official Kyiv does not provide any support to them.

Kirill Mikhailov during active protests in Russia in 2011-1012 was a civil journalist, he was detained several times, the last time they arrested for 10 days for participation in the protest promotion and distribution of leaflets. Then he moved to Ukraine and is now successfully collaborating with the Conflict Intelligence Team project , investigates the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the Donbass and in Syria. Return to Russia is simply physically unsafe for him. However, he was denied political asylum in Ukraine.

- Of course, such a project is needed, because emigrants do not understand Ukrainian legal issues. But it seems to me that here you can reach either through the media or through the presidential administration. It would be cool if they arranged a draft reform of the migration service, since there is still hell, SOVOLO and Yanukovych, ”says Kirill Mikhailov.

There is still hell, Sokovok and Yanukovych

The stories of participants in the fighting in the Donbass, who came from Russia and fought on the side of Ukraine, often tragic ones. At the end of the summer of 2015, Sergey Petrovichev was wounded in the ATO zone, who, as a result, lost his leg. The volunteers helped him go through all the stages of obtaining citizenship, but the presidential decree has not yet been signed. Since 2014, Irina Belacheu , who left for Ukraine, fleeing threats and constant detention by the police, cannot achieve political asylum. Now she works in a project directed against anti -Ukrainian propaganda in the media and social networks.

Out of positive experience, Emigrussia activists call the recent visit to Ukraine Russian Alexander Shelkovenkov , who tried to cross the border, but once he was not missed, and he tried to enter the next day, asking for political asylum. “He announced this in a few hours, and our task began to ensure that he was nevertheless passed to Ukraine. He met human rights activists in Sumy, and we are already here in Kyiv,” said Julia Arkhipova. Emigrussia participants see their work in this format. “This is a non -conflict project, aimed at dialogue and a story of stories of ordinary people. Within its framework, you can slowly start talking about how to continue to live in this situation: how to develop Ukraine and achieve democracy in Russia,” the director of Free Russia Grigory Frolov summed up.

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  Anton Naumluk

  Foreign Correspondent RS