Morning 🧵. Governor of Mykolaiv. Good minoring, Ukraine! he says. They held the city, pushed the Russians back and seized lot of equipment. There are Russian soldiers walking around looking for food. “If you see one, feed him, and then arrest him.” t.me/novostiniko1/9…
Gas supply cut off in parts of 6 regions of Ukraine due to Russian attacks t.me/KyivIndependen…
Status update as of 1hr ago. The humanitarian situation remains very dire; the Russians have in practice not put down their weapons to let people escape. Why? Because Putin is on a genocidal mission. I wish the west would understand this. t.me/ukrinform_news…
Russians are cutting off mobile communications in occupied areas of Ukraine. They cut off Vodafone and Kyivstar in occupied Kherson. Too many Ukrainian flag and protest videos circulating…they try and silence these areas cut them off from outside world. t.me/nexta_live/196…
Hostomel’ northwest of Kyiv where fierce battles have taken place over the military airport. He asks to send help for women and kids who can’t use the basements anymore. t.me/nexta_live/200…
Mariupol humanitarian corridor evacuation will try again at 12:00 today; yesterday it did not work as the Russians kept on shooting in those areas. t.me/mariupolrada/8…
Air raid sirens in Kyiv right now.
Russian central bank limits transfers to 5k usd per month to spouses and relatives abroad. The exodus is real; I heard one work-around yesterday, company to company transfers, provided you know someone who can help. Money & brain drain from 🇷🇺
Looks like some Ukrainian traffic cops are taking money to help some people bypass the kilometers long traffic jams heading out of the country. People are obviously not having any of it. t.me/xydessa/17474
First humanitarian corridor of buses leaving Mariupol and Zaporozhye now t.me/mariupolrada/8…
Gut wrenching photos of a mom and dad whose 18 month old child was killed in the Russian attacks on Mariupol. Let these images be in the minds of every decision maker in the west. This is a loss these parents will never recover from. Unforgivable. t.me/mariupol/3918
@ZelenskyyUa “Ukrainians! We have already won our future. But we are still fighting for ours today. We are fighting for where the border will pass. Between life and slavery.” Asks western leaders for no fly zone — protect Ukraine, protect Europe! t.me/V_Zelenskiy_of…
Saltovka, Kharkiv. I also just saw a photo of bodies lying in the snow, hit by a Russian shell while queuing to buy food. Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine one civilian at a time. t.me/itsdonetsk/101…
I am extremely tired of seven days a week “explaining” Austria, a country which is also not my homeland, to Ukrainians. The gist of it is: no one cares what your circumstances are and don’t expect any exceptions or special treatment. It’s a hard pill to swallow.
This has led to 48 hours of debates. I will blog about it soon. In the meantime, more end of school year drama (not giving Ukrainian kids passing grades), and a phone call tonight which knocked the wind out of me.
As many of you know, Mama Olya had a stroke in early April and has been in hospital in Vienna ever since. I have been visiting nearly daily. This takes a huge emotional toll. Respect to all those who work in medicine; I could never ever do it.
Ukrainian moms are desperately asking me if Austria ever plans to move them from Grundversorgung to Mindestsicherung. I tell them honestly, I don’t think so. They tell me it is impossible to survive. With a small kid can’t work. I say I know and I am sorry. Another country?
I cannot lie and tell them I expect any changes on the political level because I don’t. Federal and 9 states are already doing only the absolute bare minimum. I hear no discussions in media about improving Grundversorgung conditions or moving them out of it.
If any journalists would like to do a deep dive on the payments and handcuffs I know volunteers who know the numbers inside and out. It is complicated and very opaque, and differs by Bundesland. I tell the Ukrainians the following.
Just realized the last time I took a long distance bus I was a teenager. I feel wholly unprepared. I do not see the promised WC nor free wifi (eeek). Everyone seems to have done this before. The bus is completely full: women, kids, pensioners. Two drivers. €190 round trip 🧵
I found the toilet AND actually more importantly, the plug for the charger. Hallelujah! Did you all know Hofer is Aldi in Hungary? We just passed a huge distribution center. I am amazed by how quiet and considerate ALL the passengers are. Even the kids. It’s unbelievable.
I naively didn’t quite understand the bus actually makes all the stops. Budapest.
The infamous dorm in Vienna’s 11th district is closing for good. All residents must move out by this Friday night. A team of volunteers is organizing cars & people to help with the move: many residents are elderly and/or handicapped. They need volunteers & wheels. Pls DM.
I am so dumb. I naively assumed when @Stadt_Wien said all dorm residents would be assigned new housing in Wien by April 15, that would happen. Now I am hearing some residents will be sent TO THE ARRIVAL CENTER. Nightmare. Some may refuse to leave…could potentially get ugly.
This is an absolute shitshow. I should have known. It did not have to be like this if anyone cared. These are vulnerable Ukrainians who have been under extreme stress for months.
I asked the Ukrainians in my group about their success or lack thereof in finding legal paid work, and this was one of the replies. These energy bills are insane. They need guidance as renters…ugh.
A poll so far shows a mixed bag: some cannot work (caring for kids or handicapped relatives), some don’t look as working would render them homeless (social housing) and they cannot afford a deposit/rent, others no luck so far, still looking. Some want to finish A2 German first.
Some are working and no longer receiving benefits. One man in his 60s texts from the arrival center — he already has a job offer but no blue card bc no address bc no housing assignment yet. The labor market is not making the most of this opportunity. Bureaucracy is once again… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…