Several dozen refugees protested against the relocation of an integration center in Kyiv on May 29 by the State Migration Service. They say the center is threatened by the greed of local government officials, who claim it is failing to meet rent payments.
The
State Migration Service, a state agency for dealing with refugees,
would have to remodel the new building before the relocation can
proceed, leaving dozens or even hundreds of refugees without help in
the meantime. Moreover, with the cost of renovation estimated at
$180,000, the agency cannot afford the move.
The
center, currently located in Troeshchina district, is designed to help refugees adapt to Ukraine. They can socialize
in the center and learn some essential skills, including the
language.
The
center has existed for 15 years with the support of UN High
Commissioner for
Refugees,
the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a
charity,
and the International
Renaissance Foundation, a non-government organization set up by
American philanthropist George Soros.
The
center is threatened due to a lawsuit that was brought against it by
the education
department
of
the Desnyansky district in Kyiv. The
education department asked the court to evict the center and force it
to pay back rent.
The
Kyiv city administration offered the center a different, 500-square
meter property to move to on Lisovyi
Boulevard
in Desnyansky district, but
it’s in a poor shape.
Protesters
insisted the center should stay at its current location, 18B
Mayakovsky
Boulevard
in
Troeshchina district, because many of the arriving refugees end up
staying in this residential area, one of the cheaper places to live
in Kyiv.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to refugees as immigrants. Our apologies.
