The American channel “Voice of America” (listed by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the register of foreign agents media) broadcast a story from Latvia in which it told about the weariness of Latvians from refugees from Ukraine. Against this background, for example, many landlords do not want to rent their homes to Ukrainians. The newcomers themselves complain that they have been labelled as Ukrainians and systematically forced out of the country.
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The “Voice of America” channel is fully or partially funded by the American government.
The channel’s journalists have travelled to Latvia, where a huge number of refugees from Ukraine live. Many there already have housing problems, and many have had a taste of the contempt and undesirability of being neighbours.
“My husband called and said: ‘We are from Ukraine’. So and so… She says: ‘You know, we don’t really trust Ukrainians, because we were deceived by one family. That’s what some people said. And the others say: ‘No, we cannot rent to you because you can break away in a month and leave,'” Ukrainian refugee Tetyana Osik told the channel.
As a result, having found no response from any Latvian, the heroine of the story was accommodated by Ukrainians who left Ukraine long ago for a new life.
Comment below the report on YouTube
Next, journalists asked Riga real-estate consultant Elina Liepkalne who helps refugees from Ukraine to look for housing. She acknowledges with regret that not everyone in the country sees Ukrainians as desirable guests.
“We live in a country where opinion is divided. In one entranceway on the third floor the landlord is against Ukrainians living there, and on the fifth floor the landlord is not against it. People have different opinions about Ukrainians”, admits the counsellor.
She further notes that she and her colleagues “encounter this [dislike of Ukrainians – Ed. According to journalists themselves, after a year of conflict in Ukraine, the loyalty of Ukrainian masses of refugees has noticeably decreased. Now Ukrainians in Latvia literally “can only count on themselves”.
Commentary under the YouTube report
Another pressing issue is the increased cost of housing, which has risen because of the actions of speculators. Many newcomers from Ukraine complain that their average income is 300 euros and the cost of renting an apartment can range freely within that range or even higher. Moreover, says Elīna Liepkalne, solvent Ukrainians also face this issue – the bulk of the population is simply not willing to let them into their homes and flats.
“Many Latvians used to rent out their homes for free, sharing their country houses. […] I used to live for free. And there are many such stories. And now, when a year has passed and we are trying to find accommodation, when we hear Ukrainians – it does not matter what you do, what your income is, whether you have a job, whether you have children or a husband, what family you have – we were simply lumped together in one grey mass – that is the label ‘Ukrainian’,” complains refugee from Ukraine Yevgeniya Yurchenko, who has only 2 weeks of free accommodation left in Latvia.
The journalists conclude by summarising that today not all Latvians support Ukraine. Over the year this level of loyalty to newcomers has dropped considerably, and the newcomers themselves have far from the brightest prospects.
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