Category Archives: Ukraine

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Ukraine

Germany and Roma Refugees

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An article on Roma Refugees from the Ukraine in Germany. They are fleeing war, but instead of help, in Germany they often experience racism. The Center for Reporting and Information on Antigypsyism demands action.

More than 1.1 million people fled to Germany from the war in Ukraine, including, it is estimated, several thousand Roma, members of Europe’s largest ethnic minority. While other Ukrainian refugees received unbureaucratic and warm care, most arriving Roma experienced a very different Germany: overly formalized, unhelpful, suspicious, derogatory and racist.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Kalderaša Kitsch

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A series of photographs of Kalderaša interiors and families taken in Transcarpathian Ukraine.

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Ukraine

An Article about a Romni

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A portrait of a young Romni in the Ukraine. She completed her studies. But what is written about Roma in this article is just terrible.

The author has obviously no idea what he (or she) is talking about. In addition, the authors puts in multiple stereotypes. Really bad journalism but unfortunately typical of what one finds in the French press.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Roma Refugees from the Ukraine

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A video in the Czech press about Roma refugees from the Ukraine, and a recognition that the Transcarpathian Roma are related to the Czech and Slovak ones (besides the fact that Uzhhorod was Czechoslovak between 1918 and 1945 …

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Warsaw University and Roma Migrations

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Inequalities in citizenship and the transnational mobilization of Polish, Czech and Ukrainian Roma in the face of the war in Ukraine will be addressed by an international team of scientists led by Dr. Kamila Fiałkowska from the Migration Research Center (OBM) of the University of Warsaw. Researchers will analyse the behaviour and situation of both Roma people fleeing the war in Ukraine and those who helped them in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The context of the research will be their social status as citizens, as well as prejudices against Roma that influence attitudes towards refugees.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Uzhhorod: Online Museum on Genocide

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On Wednesday, April 3, Uzhgorod hosted the presentation of the online museum “Poraimos na Transcarpathia”, which presents exhibits of one of the most tragic pages in the history of the Roma – the genocide during the Second World War. The creators of the museum are convinced that future generations should remember the tragic pages of history so that such manifestations of inhumane treatment never happen again.

Unfortunately, they used the P-term …

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Uzhhorod: New Book on the Genocide

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The book “Genocide of the Transcarpathian Roma: Trying to Understand” was presented at the Uzhhorod Press Club. This book is a teaching and methodical guide to help teachers in teaching the history of Roma in schools, – the author of the book, explained Romologist Evgenia Navrotska.

Poland Ukraine

Poland: Ukrainian Roma Refugees Evicted

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Several hundred refugees from Ukraine – of Roma origin – were left homeless overnight. All because of the closure of the centre in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie. As we found out, the centre was closed due to sanitary problems.

We were alerted to this matter by the W Stron Dialogu Foundation. This is an organization supporting the Roma community in Poland, including refugees who came to our country in the face of a full-scale war in Ukraine. The Foundation knew that there was a centre in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie where several hundred people lived, including women, children and seniors. They told us that overnight they were “put out on the street.”

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Poland and Ukrainian Roma Refugees

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Several hundred refugees from Ukraine – of Roma origin from the Transcarpathian region- were left homeless overnight. All because of the closure of the centrer in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie. As we found out, the centre was closed due to sanitary problems. Some families decided to return to Ukraine, others are already taken care of in other centres.

A discussion with Dr. Joanna Talewicz.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine and Roma

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On March 7, 2024, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in partnership with the European Union and the Council of Europe, held a conference “Outlining the challenges faced by Ukrainian Roma in wartime and overcoming obstacles through policy, advocacy and empowerment and opportunities”.

This conference was organized to engage civil society and the Ukrainian government in a constructive dialogue to solve the problems reported by the Roma during the last two years of the war. Representatives of state and regional authorities, Roma public organizations and intergovernmental organizations took part in the event.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Uzhhorod Roma School

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The Czechoslovak president Masaryk contributed to the establishment of a should for Roma in what is now Transcarpathian Ukraine and before was the Ruthenian region of Czechoslovakia. The school was opened as an experiment to try to integrate Roma in the regular school system and Roma contributed to its creation. It was also a de-facto segregated school…

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Roma in the Ukraine

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A reportage in a Roma settlement in the Ukraine close to the Hungarian border. Recently, Roma residents have been afraid to leave the Roma camp in the Transcarpathian village of Berehove. “They are forcibly taking us away. Nobody wanted to go. If you don’t go, you’ll get something for it,” recounts a resident of the Stěpan settlement. At first glance, the camp looks empty, in the streets the CT staff met mainly women and children. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, the local community had five and a half thousand inhabitants, now only a few hundred remain.

The police of the administrative city of Uzhhorod stated that it had nothing to do with the mobilization activity. The military registration and recruitment office of the city of Berehove pointed out that everyone must register. “Everything must be according to the law. No one is taking anyone away by force,” he emphasized. The CT staff was not a witness to forced conscription, added Stomatová.

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Poland: Appeal for Roma Refugees

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The W Stron Dialogu  (Towards Dialogue ) Foundation works for the Roma community in Poland, writes that “Roma and Roma women from Ukraine who found shelter in Poland faced – and still face – discrimination, worse treatment and rejection.” The organization believes that Roma refugees from Ukraine have become “second-class refugees ignored by the current authorities, which turned a blind eye to segregation and the lack of access of Roma women and men to collective accommodation centres, thus allowing discrimination against this weakest group of refugees.”

They launched an appeal to the Polish Government.

Europe News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Two Years

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Two years have passed already since the beginning of the Russian aggression in the Ukraine. Two years of war, two years of mindless killings. Many refugees, and here, as we are a Romani page, let us pause to think about Roma in this war.

They were displaced, especially in the Eastern part of the country. They were killed by Russian troops in several occasions. They were deported by Russian authorities. They also fought on the Ukrainian side, with many Roma in the current army, even the normally not so accepted Roma from Transcarpathian Ukraine.

Roma refugees in Europe were confronted with racist stereotypes and had to fight there too.

Let’s hope we do not need to commemorate another year.

For those who died, may they rest in peace, and for those who live, may they do so for 100 years.

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Ukraine Roma Refugees

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Two articles in the Polish press about a Romni activist and Ukrainian refugee currently in Poland.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine and Roma

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A tender announcement for the purchase of services of local trainers in the field of anti-discrimination, as well as protection of the rights of national minorities (communities) and Roma in Ukraine was issued.

The tender was announced within the framework of the Council of Europe projects “Supporting the reform of the legislative framework regarding national minorities and strengthening the stability of national minorities and Roma in Ukraine” and “Supporting the implementation of European standards on combating discrimination and the rights of national minorities in Ukraine”, which are implemented as part of the Council’s Action Plan of Europe for Ukraine “Resilience, recovery and reconstruction” 2023-2026.

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Roma in the Ukraine

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An interview with Anzhelika Belova from Zaporozhye, now lives in Uzhgorod with her husband and daughter; activist, president of the Voice of Romni organization. She says that nobody should be ashamed of being Roma. We live in Ukraine and we are Ukrainians.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Ukraine

Switzerland and Roma Refugees

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As usual with some delays, a 1-1 translation of an article published last week in the Tages Anzeiger about Roma refugees from the Ukraine and the suspicions that they are not quite what they claim to be.

This of course without a shred of any evidence…

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine on the Transcarpathian Roma Refugees

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Another article, this time in the Ukrainian press about the fact that there are more and more Roma refugees from Transcarpathian Ukraine arriving in Germany (and Switzerland), especially from the region of Berehove very close to the Hungarian border. Here they say these refugees hide their dual citizenship (i.e. the fact that they also have a Hungarian passport).

While Hungarian speakers can get a Hungarian passport (thanks to the current Prime Minister Viktor Orban), in order to do so, they need to read and write, which is generally not the case there (thanks to the total disregard of those Roma from the Ukrainian authorities). In fact, if citizen of the Ukraine do not speak Ukrainian because they live in remote settlements, it is actually the fault of the Ukrainian government.

  • У Німеччині виявляють все більше біженців з угорськими паспортами із Закарпаття, а саме з Берегова. In: Mukachevo.net. 16.02.2024. http://www.mukachevo.net/ua/news/view/6041721
News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Transcarpathian Ukraine: Census

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In 2024, a census of the Roma population is planned in Zakarpattia Oblast. These complete and up-to-date statistical data will help ensure more effective social and legal protection and integration of Roma.

Well, we know how it works: Integrated Roma will not declare themselves as such, probably opting to say they are Hungarians, and poor people will be declared to be Roma. The result will be as usual wrong numbers.

  • На Закарпатті проведуть перепис ромського населення. In: Golos Ukraini. 16.02.2024. http://www.golos.com.ua/news/196326
  • Яка їх реальна чисельність: на Закарпатті планують провести перепис ромського населення. In: Golos Karpat. 15.02.2024. https://goloskarpat.info/power/65ce816c9bdee/
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