Uzhhorod

THE CITY.

Uzhhorod is a city in the western part of Ukraine, on the Uzh River, near the border with Slovakia. This is the capital of Zakarpatska Oblast [Transcarpathian region].

This is the centre of mechanical engineering, wood, light and food industries. Polish car factory Inter Groclin Auto is located here. There is a university, a Greek Catholic theological college and several smaller state vocational colleges. The Transcarpathian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Transcarpathian Musical and Dramatic Theatre and the State Puppet Theatre are also located in the city.

In 1938 the area was temporarily incorporated into Hungary, then into Czechoslovakia and then occupied by the Red Army. In 1991 the city became part of the reborn Ukrainian state. On 20 February 2014 the authorities of the Transcarpathian region located in Uzhhorod, with the support of Uzhhorod units of the army and police, overthrew the rule of President Viktor Yanukovych, acting in the interests of Russia.

Population of the city by nationality according to population censuses: Ukrainians and Ruthenians (77.8%), Russians (9.6%), Hungarians (6.9%), Slovaks (2.2%), Roma (1.5%), Jews, Germans. Before the outbreak of the war in February 2022, the population was declining, mainly due to emigration to EU countries and Israel.

Uzhhorodians consider their region as part of Central Europe and Western Ukraine, with Lviv as the metropolis. The inhabitants of Uzhhorod are open to multiculturalism and feel a strong aversion to nationalism.

WAR

Almost since the beginning of the war, Uzhhorod has served as an asylum for the displaced people. Refugees from the war zones in Ukraine have been resettled there. There are already 220-240 thousand internal refugees in the Transcarpathian region. In Uzhhorod alone, with 120,000 inhabitants, there are more than 30,000 refugees.

In 2014, the largest Russian media began being interested in Transcarpathia, where the Hungarian minority lives. Since 2014 pro-Russian media in Ukraine have broadcast negative material about the Hungarian minority, accusing Hungarians of separatism. This is information warfare, started and maintained by Russia with the aim of creating confusion, worsening of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and thus weakening the region.

At present a lot of wounded refugees are arriving in Uzhhorod. These people require immediate medical assistance and care. There are also weakened and temporarily disabled patients who need temporary care and people who have lost their lower limbs, requiring permanent care. These include both soldiers and civilians.

Uzhhorod is also one of the poorest regions of Ukraine. One earns here half of what one earns in Kiev.

JAK POMAGAMY?

Due to the economic situation of the city, the displaced persons who have just moved into the city require a wide range of existential support and also psychological support because of the level of traumatisation. People from the towns near Kiev, where the massacre of civilians took place, also have come here.

As part of psychological assistance, we have created a support group for Ukrainian volunteers with a psychotraumatologist from Israel, Urim Fleishman.
Humanitarian aid distributed by military chaplains includes food parcels, medications and nappies for children.

We also help refugees recovering from diseases and injured people by visiting them in hospitals, at homes, providing practical support, food and medicine.
Our goal is to create a well-functioning rehabilitation centre for refugees.