Only nine residents left. Stories from Vodiane

11.06.21

«I remember the times when it was quiet and peaceful. First we heard strange sounds, we could not understand what it was until the shells from the sky began to fall on the house. From that moment our tragedy began,» – says with tears in his eyes Hennadii, resident of Vodiane village.

Vodiane is a village in the Mariupol district near the contact line, which was seriously damaged during the war. Now only nine people are living there.

*Destructions are everywhere in Vodiane. On one of the photos you can see that grape lianas overgrown all around the house – owners have left it since 2014*

«In 2014, shells hit the city market in Mariupol. My son and grandchildren were there. Son covered the children with his own body, rescuing him from the explosion. Since then we hate fireworks. The granddaughter still shudders and cries… While before the war it was a joy. »
— quietly adds Hennadii.

Due to the shelling, Vodiane was left without electricity for a long time, in fact – literally cut off from civilization. The main source of drinking water was and still remains the rainwater, and the one only well in the village, where the city administration recently installed a pump, located in the area that is under fire. However, Hennadii says that by the end of 2020, drinking water was also supplied to them by the employees of ADRA, and now the village administration is negotiating to restore the water supply.

*Due to constant shellings the village has problems with drinking water. Volunteer organizations help residents and deliver water to Vodiane*

Hennadii’s neighbor Maryna still has trembling hands when she remembers the first bombings. She said that back then they were forced to take security measures: they had to live in basements for a long time, with small food supplies and drinking water of questionable quality and freshness. But there was no choice – their only wish was to survive.

The already difficult situation is complicated by the lack of a medical facility in Vodiane – the simplest medical service is situated tens of kilometers in the nearest village. Moreover, there is no regular transport connection with Vodyane since 2014, so there is almost no possibility to leave the village.

Zoya is a lonely woman who survived the hardest and most terrible moments of the war and is incredibly happy about the visit of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P). She perfectly understands what our colleagues had to go through to find out how the locals live, to provide them with the necessary assistance, and to inform them about the possibility of receiving compensation for the destroyed (damaged) housing – the only road to the village is seriously damaged.

*Roads in the village are not easy to get through. And there is only one road to the village – there are mines and explosives all around the road*

Smiling sadly, Zoya tells how her goat Zoika runs to the house and hides, signaling that there will be a shelling soon, persuading Zoya to run to a safe place too.

But despite all the horrors of war, people do not lose their unconditional faith that this land is the source of their life energy – the trees, the people, the animals – they all protect, defend and give strength and unshakable hope that every “tomorrow” will be better than today.

And, looking into the eyes of these extraordinary people, you involuntarily charge with their confidence that everything will be fine.

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Going around the contact line (NOTE)

Passport – a universal key. The Story of Maria

The Story of Displacement: Finding the Perfect, Open Community

11.06.21

Our colleagues always emphasize that, in order to develop the long term housing solutions, one of the main tasks is to create a regional program of preferential lending for the purchase or construction of housing for IDPs living in the Kharkiv region.

On June 11, a working meeting was held on the issue of the implementation of regional housing construction programs. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration (KRSA) Mykhailo Harnam. Specialists of the Kharkiv Office of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) also joined the meeting.

Розроблення довготривалих житлових рішень для ВПО в Харківській області

A number of important issues were discussed during the meeting, including the:

approval and financing from the regional budget of the regional program of preferential crediting for the purchase / construction of housing for IDPs living in the Kharkiv region;
opportunities to allocate funds from the regional budget to the communities of the region for their participation in receiving a subsidy for the establishment of a temporary housing fund for IDPs.

Following the discussion, an agreement was reached to meet again in September 2021 to discuss this issue. It is planned to involve employees of the Department of Finance and the Department of Economics and International Relations of KRSA to discuss in more detail the terms of the regional program.

We hope for further fruitful cooperation with the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and the achievement of positive results!

More details about the meeting

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10.06.21

Due to the restrictions on crossing the contact line, thousands of people are blocked from accessing their permanent residence, visits, or care for family members, collecting social benefits or pensions to which they are entitled, obtaining birth and death certificates amongst other essential needs.

Going around the contact line. Information on movements of NGCA residents through the Russian Federation (NOTE)

As a result, many NGCA residents decide to go to GCA through the Russian Federation and cross the Russian-Ukrainian International Border Crossing Points in Milove and Hoptivka. This trip necessarily takes much longer than crossing the contact line, and incurs additional expenses, for transportation, and, in many cases, the payment of a fine for illegally crossing the border.

The team of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) has prepared the note “Going around the contact line. Information on movements of NGCA residents through the Russian Federation”. This note is based on information collected by R2P at the two border points, through interviews with State Border Guard Service of Ukraine staff, people crossing the border points, and observation, during monitoring visits in April and May 2021.

The Note is available

in English and Ukrainian.

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10.06.21

«Sometimes, it seems that a little can surprise me at work, yet some impossible scenarios may arise from time to time. When I speak with our beneficiaries I just don’t understand how they manage to endure and overcome the obstacles that were artificially created by the state.»
– says Ruslan Bereteli, a lawyer of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P).

The story of our cooperation with Maria began in the winter of 2020, when a woman came to the Kurakhiv office of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) with a request for help. For almost an hour, she, a native of Donetsk city, told how she studied and worked in her hometown, how she got married and gave birth to two daughters. At first, it seemed like a usual life of an ordinary person. Yet there was one moment: for all this time she did not exist legally – in her 31st year, she did not have a passport or any other relevant identity documents. She couldn’t receive birth certificates for her children, couldn’t get an official job, or buy train/plane tickets.

Руслан Беретелі про становище та права ромської спільноти в Україні

«First of all, we had to confirm the fact that Maria lived on the territory of Ukraine as of 1991. According to my own legal experience at R2P, I have never seen such a motivated client before. Each instruction regarding the collection of evidence was carried out almost instantly: a relative of our client in Donetsk searched for evidence in the school where our beneficiary studied, and in the hospital, where she was registered since childhood. We also were able to receive certificates from the company where Maria’s mother worked. She managed to find the student’s personal file, medical card, certificates, and much more.»
– says Ruslan Bereteli.

The evidence of Maria’s residence in Ukraine as of 1991 was indisputable, and therefore the woman had the right to be recognized as a citizen of Ukraine. However, in court, despite the obvious evidence, a representative of the State Migration Service (SMS) opposed establishing this fact. Leonid Serafimovych, a lawyer of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P), argued and insisted on the beneficiary’s position, and the court supported our side.

For several months, the Migration Service did not comply with the court’s decision: Maria was not provided with the application form, demanded to provide some non-existing evidence, offered to wait for the head of the service, and so on. The difficult issue of legal support to the State Migration Service of Ukraine department could not be resolved, because once again it was advised to “wait for the SMS head”…

So our lawyers did. CF “Right to Protection” turned directly to the head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine. The case was immediately taken under control, and the documents were accepted. Within three months, Maria received a certificate of belonging to Ukrainian citizenship and later – a passport.

Until now, the woman had to use copies of recently received birth certificates. Now she was able to pick up the originals. Maria also reissued her lost registration number of the taxpayer’s account card. There is a lot of work behind, yet no less ahead – now a woman will have to deal with making a comfortable life for herself and her children: get an official job, apply for social benefits, and more. But, as Maria says: «The passport opens all doors. A truly universal key»

You can also watch the Story of Maria in the video

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09.06.21

From March 29 to April 30 of this year, the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) researched the access to services provided in the Administrative Service Centres (hereinafter – ASC). Monitors of our organization interviewed 863 people who crossed the contact line in both directions through the Entry-Exit Checkpoints (hereinafter – EECP) “Stanytsia Luhanska” in the Luhansk region and “Novotroitske” in the Donetsk region.

The research was conducted to obtain information on the following aspects of the work of the ASCs:

1) Experience in receiving the administrative services within the 60 years old age group, as persons of this vulnerable group cross the contact line most often.

2) Experience in applying for a passport of a citizen of Ukraine in the form of a card upon reaching the age of 14 (for the first time). In addition to the research on the quality of these services, we have also studied the difficulties in collecting the documents required for the application. The passport confirms the citizenship of Ukraine, and hence the legal relationship between the individual and Ukraine.

3) Sources of information about the state administrative services to improve overall informing about the above-mentioned services.

4) Experience of applying to the ASCs stationed at the Entry-Exit Checkpoints (EECPs) and to the mobile ASCs.

5) The impact of COVID-19 on access to administrative services.

Research of Access to Administrative Services in ASCs

“For a long time we have been researching the freedom of movement across the contact line, and it is pervasive for the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation. The issue of access to administrative services at the EECPs in the Administrative Service Centres (ASCs) is a relatively new topic, as the ASCs have appeared only recently at some checkpoints.
At the same time, our study is very timely, as the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On the implementation of the Decision of the National Security and Defense Council on some issues of intensifying the process of peaceful settlement of the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
The first paragraph of the Decree instructs the Cabinet of Ministers to complete the arrangement of the EECPs towards the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts within three months, complete the development of their infrastructure, establish the provision of humanitarian, logistical, postal, and other services near each checkpoint. In this context, the research prepared by the R2P experts comes in handy, as it points to problematic issues that can be addressed in the process of setting up new Entry-Exit Checkpoints. “
– says the Advocacy Coordinator at R2P Elina Shyshkina

According to the results of the research, we were able to find out that people are mostly satisfied with the quality of administrative services provided in the ASC, but it is important to raise public awareness about administrative services, and the procedure for receiving such services.

At the same time, the lack of an administrative procedure that would facilitate the quick and easy registration of the children born at the Non-Government Controlled Areas, as well as the renewal of birth certificates issued before the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, is a matter of concern. In addition, the administrative procedure for registering internally displaced persons needs to be simplified. Such changes will improve access to obtaining the first passport of a citizen of Ukraine in the form of a card at the age of 14.

Respondents from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts need the creation, proper functioning, and content of ASC websites (in particular, those operating near the EECPs and mobile ASC); information stands with handouts.

Also, people expressed that they would like to receive the following services at Administrative Service Centres:

registration of residence, vehicles, and real estate;
issuance of a passport, ID card, and driver’s license; registration of subsidies.

ASCs at the EECPs provide mainly informational rather than administrative services. As a result, respondents are sometimes dissatisfied with the quality of administrative services provided to them.

The biggest problem of the respondents who tried to cross the contact line through the EECPs after receiving service at the ASCs is the presence of restrictions on crossing the contact line through the EECPs.

According to the results of the study, the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) recommends that the Government of Ukraine needs to:

Establish an out-of-court procedure that would facilitate the registration of births of children born at the Non-Government Controlled Areas, as well as simplify the renewal of birth certificates issued before the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, and simplify the procedure for registering internally displaced persons.

Ensure proper access to administrative services for persons crossing the Entry-Exit Checkpoints in the direction of the Government-Controlled Areas. In particular, to continue the opening of ASCs at EECPs and mobile ASCs in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Ensure the provision of primarily administrative, rather than informational services at the ASC near the EECPs.

Create Administrative Service Centres websites, in particular, those EECPs near the contact line and for mobile ASC, as well as set up information stands filled with handouts.

The full results of the research, conclusions, and recommendations of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) can be found in the report.

The report is available in

English and Ukrainian.

* This document covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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09.06.21

«Assistance to the IDP families in resettlement has always been a priority in the work of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P). And in this situation, it is important that the local communities be willing to help internally displaced persons find their new homes. We are grateful that there are such communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which are ready to accept and help IDPs from other regions. Communities that are actually open to people!»
– said Myroslava Sushchenko, head of the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya office of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P)

The Story of Displacement

Svitlana and Oleksandr. Back in the peaceful days, they used to renovate their old home, putting all their love and efforts into making it better, but all these happy days were short…

In 2014, the family was forced to leave Shakhtarsk due to the start of active hostilities and initially, the occupation of the city.

Fleeing the war in the east, the family found their first shelter in the west of Ukraine in Sambir district, where they have been living for almost 5 years. Svitlana and Oleksandr still remember the lovely nature of the Carpathians and the kindness of the people around them.

Історія переселення: громада відкрита для людей

After learning about the possibility of moving to the module settlement in the Kirovohrad region, the family decided to go, due to it being closer to their home. So they moved to Novohradivka. The couple lived in the new place for two years, but the high rent and insufficiently developed infrastructure forced them to start searching for a new place once again… And during this period they found the contacts of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P).

Olena Pazenko, a monitor at the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya office of the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation, immediately offered the family possible options for resettlement. After the consultation, they stopped their choice at the city of Pokrov, Nikopol district. Svitlana and Oleksandr have been hesitating for several months, and when they finally decided to come, our colleagues accompanied them in the new community. After inspecting the room in the dormitory, walking around the city, the family made the final decision to stay.

Within one day, Svitlana and Oleksandr received an IDP registration certificate at the new location, underwent the necessary examinations at the hospital, and applied to the settlement commission.

«I have been going to Pokrov with monitoring visits since 2015, and every time I visit this incredible town I fall in love with it in a new way. And it is the people who make it so cozy. Pokrov is a city where people are not indifferent to the fate of internally displaced persons. So it was this time.
When we were collecting a package of documents, people everywhere came to meet us. We did not see officials, we saw caring people. I would like to express special gratitude to Valentyna Minenko, director of Zhytlokomservice, which has IDP dormitories on its balance. She is always ready to provide shelter to the people who became homeless due to the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, »
– commented Olena Pazenko, a monitor at the Dnipro-Zaporizhzhya office of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P).

Eventually, a week after the application was submitted, the family moved into a dormitory.

Oleksandr loved the city at first sight. When he learned more about the city, he made sure that he and his wife were not mistaken:

«I walk around the city a lot here. It inspires, and it’s actually made for people! As a person with a disability, it is difficult for me to walk a lot, but there are benches everywhere, you always have the opportunity to sit down and relax. It’s nice to feel taken care of. »
– told Oleksandr about his experience of living in a new place.

Svitlana is already arranging a new house and dreams that the children who now live in the Zhytomyr region will also move to Pokrov and the family will finally reunite. Her words of gratitude are very valuable to us:

«R2P, thank you that in the 7th year of the war, when fewer organizations take care of IDPs, you did not leave us, the displaced, alone with our own problems.»
– said Svitlana.

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04.06.21

The issue of housing for temporary residence of IDPs became the central topic of a press conference held on June 3 2021 at Ukrinform.

During the event, the results of a series of consultation seminars were summarized, with a special focus being set on the topic of receiving a subsidy from the state to provide IDPs with housing. This year events were organized by specialists of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) jointly with the partner organizations.

Oleksandr Galkin, the President of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P), spoke in detail about the cooperation with amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas) and on the positive results of consultation seminars during the press event.

Alexandr Galkin R2P Олександр Галкін БФ Право на захист

«Since 2017, R2P has been supporting amalgamated territorial communities in the development of their housing programs, so they will be able to provide practical and methodological assistance. With the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine (UNHCR), we are implementing measures aimed at developing and implementing long-term housing solutions for internally displaced persons.
In 2020 we have also started cooperation with the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund, and our regional teams provide support to 11 local communities. Standard programs have been developed, as well as procedures that can be adapted to the financial needs and capabilities of any community.
Last year, at the initiative of the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, we also organized two joint events for the eastern regions. Eight participating communities then applied for the relevant programs and received subventions. Positive changes have taken place this year as well. With the financial and expert support of the Council of Europe Project “Internal Displacement in Ukraine: Building Solutions – Phase II” and the UNHCR, geography of training and consulting activities have significantly expanded throughout Ukraine,»,
– said Oleksandr Galkin, President of the R2P.

Also with the support of the All-Ukrainian Association of Village and Settlement Councils, the specialists of our Fund held a series of seminars for the representatives of the amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas) in all regions of Ukraine without exception. 450 community representatives took part in a total of 6 seminars. During the seminars, participants learned about the procedure and conditions for receiving a subsidy from the state budget to local budgets to create a fund of temporary housing for IDPs.

In addition, the events also included information on the procedure for creating such a fund, as well as the peculiarities of purchasing housing on the secondary market. As a result of these seminars, some communities have already prepared documents and applied for a subsidy.

The recording of the press conference

is available:

The event was organized by the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine; Council of Europe Project “Internal Displacement in Ukraine: Building Solutions – Phase II”; Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine (UNHCR), All-Ukrainian Association of Village and Settlement Councils.

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03.06.21

Today, on June 3, the Security Service of Ukraine released information about the detention of a man who was informed about the suspicion that he was an agent of the so-called “Ministry of State Security of the DPR.”

The detainee provided transport services to the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) as private contractor. Prior to concluding the agreement, the Fund inspected the potential vendor according to the standard procedure.

Throughout the term of cooperation, our organization had no complaints about the quality and timing of the tasks specified in the agreement. The provision of services did not provide access to information related to the Fund’s program activities.

Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) does not have information about the activities of the detained person outside the cooperation provided for in our agreement and is ready to provide all necessary information for the investigation.

Fund has been operating in Ukraine for almost 10 years and provides legal support to refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and those at risk of statelessness, and for the last seven years to people affected by the conflict in the East. We work exclusively in the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine within the current Ukrainian legislation.

02.06.21

Since 2020, specialists of the Kharkiv office of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) provide legal consultations to the amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas) in the Kharkiv region. One of the important goals is to support the hromada’s potential in the context of finding long-term housing solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

To fulfill this goal our colleagues organize various seminars and provide individual counseling, in particular, on:

Subventions provision from the state to local budgets;
Creation of the housing funds to provide housing for temporary residence of IDPs;
Other important issues concerning the housing, development, and approval of the local programs.

In addition, the R2P Kharkiv office provides printed informative materials, as well as draft documents on the protection of the rights and interests of IDPs.

«Changes in the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine led to lots of questions from the representatives of the amalgamated territorial communities. And all such questions need to be solved in order to help establish work in new conditions. That is why R2P currently provides not only advocacy, protection, and legal assistance to IDPs, but also develops closer cooperation with the amalgamated territorial communities and initiative groups. By working together, we help communities become more efficient and foster their ability to develop internal infrastructure, as well as provide quality and affordable services to the people, »
– said Olena Prykhodko, regional team lead and attorney at the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P).

All this is needed in order for communities to become more efficient in their work and rationally use the available resources, so each resident could receive quality services. Employees of the Kharkiv office of the R2P are always open to cooperation – they will respond to every request from hromada’s representatives.

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