A shorter version of this article was published in the Scottish Sunday Post on March 27.
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Alla and her family arrived in Congaz, Moldova on the night of March 22 wearing her grandson Vova’s hoodie and sweatpants. He had thrown away her only clothing – a pair of pants, a shirt, and a sweater – during the three weeks they spent locked away together in a bomb shelter in Mariupol.
Continue reading “Fleeing Mariupol Horrors: A Grandmother and Young Man Survive the War in Ukraine”
On March 14, a brave woman barreled into the frame of a newscast on Russia’s Channel One, a notorious source of state propaganda.
While the female announcer was speaking, Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor of the channel, was holding a sign in both Russian and English: “No War. Stop the War. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you here. Russians against war.”
Continue reading “Calling a Spade a Spade: Russians Fear Repercussions for Speaking Out Against War”
Many people who have no hope for the future have already fled or are attempting to leave Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
Could we not view these individuals, who do not support what is happening in Ukraine, who see themselves as Europeans (as many Russians do), who have worked for the West and are afraid to remain for fear of punishment, also as refugees? Some are arriving to other countries with no jobs and little cash.
Continue reading “Russians Fleeing Russia”
Crossing the bridge in Otaci is a nightmare with the frigid winter weather that has once again descended across Moldova.
One of my dear Moldovan friends is now working for an NGO that is distributing aid and helping organize volunteer efforts to serve Ukrainian refugees in Moldova; she watched, heartbroken, as a mother “weeping, her face destroyed,” traversed the bridge with a young child in her arms.
Continue reading “Moldova Welcomes Ukrainian Refugees”
A consideration of how the Covid-19 pandemic is requiring rapid change in social norms to protect vulnerable members of society, and how these norms are being reinforced. This article focuses on the realities now being faced by United States homeless populations.
Sundry Travels 