Ukrainians can be very helpful for the German economy, and he wants to help with his community. This is the main message I heard from Vyacheslav Orlov in a recent conversation. Orlov lives in Munich, but he comes from Mykolaiv, a city between Odessa and Kherson that is regularly bombed by Russia simply because of its proximity to the front. Orlov is a businessman and ran various holding companies in Ukraine. He also founded a successful start-up, which was destroyed by Russian soldiers.
In the first months of the war, Orlov stayed in Ukraine to help. But then he fled to Munich with his large family. Here he quickly understood that the potential of many Ukrainian refugees and their desire for professional fulfillment is underestimated.
Many Ukrainians in Germany and especially in Bavaria are highly qualified; before the Russian attack in 2022, they were successful entrepreneurs or freelancers. But Orlow also recognizes that a lack of language skills, the hurdles of German bureaucracy and the difficulties of adapting in a foreign country make it difficult for Ukrainian refugees to integrate into the labor market. But he is convinced that these difficulties can be overcome with the right support. He believes that Ukrainians do not want to live on social benefits in the long term, but rather want to find a job or start their own business as quickly as possible. Orlov is convinced that this could be a stroke of luck for the German economy.
Orlov has now founded a Ukrainian business community with like-minded people, the “Ukrainian Welfare Association for Development and Integration”. The community is organized on a voluntary basis and aims to help Ukrainians integrate, primarily when setting up a business or looking for a job. Orlov also wants to build bridges between Ukraine and Germany in order to sell Ukrainian goods here and, in the long term, to open the Ukrainian market to German companies.
Experienced Ukrainians help build a professional future
There are already various divisions within the group, such as a business club, an IT cluster, areas for education, real estate and more. The community organizes various events at which experienced Ukrainians share their experiences on how to build a professional future or start a business in Germany.
According to Orlow, they are working with the job center because they have the same interests, namely getting Ukrainian refugees into work. There are already a few examples that show how effectively the initiative works. They have already helped 50 Ukrainians find jobs and supported the founding of a Ukrainian café. Twelve Ukrainians also found work there.
Conversations with people like Vyacheslav Orlov are always inspiring. I have therefore decided to get involved in this initiative too. My offer is a seminar for Ukrainians who would like to work at a German school. I can certainly provide good support here.
Emiliia Dieniezhna, 35, fled from Kiev with her then four-year-old daughter Ewa Pullach near Munich. She works on a voluntary basis for the non-governmental organization NAKO, whose goal is to fight corruption in Ukraine. She also teaches German to Ukrainian refugee children. She writes a weekly column for the SZ about her view of events in her home country from Munich.