Torrevieja, already home to more than 3,200 Ukrainian registered citizens, is preparing to welcome thousands more Ukrainians fleeing from Russia’s armed aggression in the coming weeks.
This has been revealed at the end of a meeting between the mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, and several Ukrainian and Russian associations present in the population, who have transferred their concerns to him although they have also expressed that no problems have arisen between both communities, closely related for decades.
The president of the Association of Ukrainians of Torrevieja, Natalia Zhezhnyauska, has highlighted her concern about the “serious and sad” Russian invasion, and has stated that many exiled Ukrainians are expected to arrive in the coming days. She has explained that it will be necessary to process their permits to stay in Spain and for this the Torrevieja city council has already contacted the National Police Corps to speed up the procedures for these people.
Mayor Dolón does not know the number of people who may come to the city and, while offering municipal help, wonders if the asylum resource will be made available to newcomers.
Many of the Ukrainians who live in Torrevieja are emotionally upset because they receive calls from their families telling them of their dramatic situation and the “horror” of, for example, having to sleep in the Kiev metro for fear of being bombed.
The Ukrainian group called a rally in the plaza de la Constitución on Sunday at noon to condemn the invasion of Vladimir Putin’s army, which Russian residents will also join.
This is the case of the president of the Russian association Mir Odin (The World Is One), Segey Mogilenski, and its member, also Russian Peter Andrusevich, who have expressed this Friday in statements to several journalists their “total” rejection of the policy of the Government of their country: “We are Russians but we do not agree with Putin and his aggression”.
“The Russians and the Ukrainians of Torrevieja are together”, repeated the president of Mir Odin, who continued that his “obligation is to help the Ukrainian friends” and “take care of coexistence”.
He predicts that thousands of displaced people will arrive at the homes of their friends and relatives in Torrevieja and other towns on the Mediterranean coast to “start another life”,
