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Indonesians in Ukraine share their stories
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Indonesians in Ukraine: Adi Priyanto (left) and Jono share their harrowing tales of evacuating from and finding refuge in Ukraine. (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Adi Priyanto and Jono) (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Adi Priyanto and Jono)
Indonesians in Ukraine share their stories as they are evacuated out of the country.
On Feb. 24, Russia began invading Ukraine. This invasion has prompted civilians, not only Ukrainians but also foreigners, to flee the country. According to data, there are at least 153 Indonesians, mostly migrant workers in the manufacturing and hospitality sectors, who are registered at the Indonesian embassy in Ukraine.
On March 3, tempo.com reported that 80 Indonesian citizens and three non-Indonesian citizens had arrived in Indonesia after being successfully evacuated. The evacuation process is still ongoing.
The Jakarta Post spoke to some of those Indonesians to hear their stories from the past few weeks. The interviews were conducted through a mix of Whatsapp chats, Whatsapp calls and telegram communications between March 2-3.
Support from coworkers
Jono, who prefers to not use his real name, has been working at a plastic company in Ukraine for the last five years. As of March 4, Jono was still in Chernihiv.
For days, the 46-year-old and his friends had to go back and forth from their accommodation in Chernihiv to their bunker due to blasts in the city. He describes the conditions in the bunker – which has existed since the Uni Soviet era – as being sparse.
