Greeks in Ukraine Fear for Their Lives

Ukrainians of Greek descent, fearing for their lives, are asking Greece for special diaspora ID documents to help them escape the country beset by violence.

The Federation of Greek Communities of Ukraine is set to address a letter to the Greek Parliament requesting the Special Permanent Parliamentary Committee for Greeks Abroad and the government take all appropriate steps to speed the issuance of special diaspora ID documents for the Greek community in Ukraine.

“Greek men visited the Federation’s offices and ask for their women and children to be sent to the homeland,” chairman of the Mariupol-based federation, Alexandra Protsenko, told ANA-MPA, saying that Ukrainian Greeks use the term “homeland” when referring to Greece.

Commenting on the exploding situation across Ukraine, Protsenko said: “We fear about our lives every single day. The situation across the country is getting worse but we have managed to keep close ties to our Consulate General, which is well aware of the situation in the region,” underlining that the consulate may be able to expedite the procedure of issuing visas and travel papers, but Athens has failed to provide the special diaspora IDs, which are necessary for permanently residing in Greece.

“A new presidential decree has made the process even harder. It takes four to five years just to locate the necessary papers, while the applicant is forced to spend around €1,500 on the process, but without assurance of securing the much-desired documentation for getting back home,” Protsenko added.

Protsenko says she won’t return to Greece, and that her duty is to stand alongside the Ukrainian Greeks to get over any evils that will come.

“We thank the journalists in Greece who speak for us, and support us. We strive to be calm. The worst, perhaps, hasn’t come yet, but we are not leaving,” the head of the Greek community in Donetsk, Elena Prodan, said.