At the time, the association’s leaders did not think that these people would still be living in Luxembourg a year later. This causes a slew of problems, especially in terms of accommodation options.
The volunteers of Slava Ukrayini look after about 50 refugees in Luxembourg, who found shelter in flats and houses provided by private individuals. While the association and the refugees are very grateful for this generosity, the situation is complicated by the fact that the contracts were only meant to last one year, as Julien Doussot, president of the association, explains: “We will gradually reach the end of these contracts, and the families we have put in these houses will have to be relocated.”
Ten people are affected by this problem, including a family with children. Doussot admits that “we have no leads, no solutions.” The association frequently works with the Red Cross, “but unfortunately, they face the same challenges that we do.”
The 50 people receiving support from the association are not all the same people who were taken in at the beginning of the war. Some twenty refugees who were repatriated to Luxembourg by Slava Ukrayini have already been able to return home, but new families are constantly arriving in the Grand Duchy. Doussot and his wife regularly take in the spouses and children of Ukrainian soldiers. The arrival of new refugees always depends on developments in Ukraine.
“That’s my biggest fear, that there will be a new wave,” the president of the association sighs. His own brother-in-law is on the front lines: “They are preparing for a possible new invasion attempt of Kyiv through Belarus.”
If the Russian president really intends to launch such an offensive on the first anniversary of the war, a new influx of refugees is to be expected, but it is unclear how many will opt to come to the Grand Duchy. The family in Doussot’s home has already decided to leave: “Because once again, I have no solution to offer.” As the president of the association is unable to find them new accommodation in Luxembourg, they will try their luck in France.
