Reportage from a border crossing between Ukraine and Russia

In Krasnopiliya, around 20 kilometers from the border with Russia, those who have fled the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine arrive – often with little more than what they are carrying.

It is late in the evening when the people in the large kitchen in the old house in Krasnopilija finally get something warm. The town is located around 20 kilometers from the border with Russia in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine. This has a border with Russia that is around 400 kilometers long and until the full invasion on February 24, 2022, many trains and trucks drove through here towards Moscow.

There is no front along this section of the border, but the Sumy region is under constant fire from the Russian army and in January Krasnopiliya was also shelled. For the people at the long wooden table, the place is still the first quiet point of contact after fleeing their Russian-occupied home, which is many hundreds of kilometers away.

“We thought for a long time about whether we should leave and had doubts. But we had to go because no one has any rights there,” says 68-year-old pensioner Valentina. “There is nothing good there,” adds her son Volodymyr. His mother was generally worried, but the fear that her 40-year-old son could be drafted by the Russian occupiers was the final deciding factor in leaving. They come from Kakhovka in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region in the south of the country.

Humanitarian transition for Ukrainian citizens only

Everyone sitting in the kitchen hasn’t slept for days and has deep circles under their eyes. Because they have just come back to Ukraine from Russia. Since they cannot cross the front lines, they first had to go to Russia and from there back to Ukraine. Border crossings have been closed since the invasion – including the Ukrainian-Russian border crossing at Pokrowka in the Sumy region. However, Ukrainian citizens are allowed to use it as a so-called humanitarian crossing.

Pressure and arbitrariness at Russian checkpoints

Two older women from Kakhovka have also just crossed this crossing and are talking about their odyssey while they eat dinner. They traveled in a minibus for days – via the occupied port city of Mariupol towards Russia and through the Belgorod area to the border with Ukraine. Accompanied by the constant fear of the numerous Russian checkpoints on the way, which are characterized by arbitrariness and violence. And worried about what they should answer if they were asked where they were going. “That was the worst,” says one of the two. “Why don’t you support Russia?” the Russians asked.

No work, no security, Russian Propaganda schools

At the crossing from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia in Novoassowsk, the Russian soldiers put the most pressure on them, the women say. A young couple from Nowa Kachowka also had this experience. All of them do not want to give their names publicly. The Russians often asked why they were leaving and wanted to persuade them to stay, says the young wife, stroking her son’s brown hair.

“We don’t have a job and it’s not safe for our child.” There is only the Russian school and no good medicine. “The Russians ask why we want to leave? It’s a strange question because there are no normal conditions there. Our child can’t even play outside. It’s dangerous because there are people with machine guns everywhere.”

In addition, people in the occupied territories are under constant pressure to accept Russian passports, says the young woman from Nova Kakhovka.

Checks and interrogations on the Russian side

Volunteers from the non-governmental organization Pluriton prepared the food in the large kitchen in Krasnopilija. After their arrival, this helps people with overnight stays, registration and onward travel. Many have relatives in the Ukrainian-controlled area of ​​the country, but there are also people who don’t know what’s next, says Pluriton boss Kateryna Stratilo.

Many go without sleep for several days and the transition is difficult. On the Russian side there is a lengthy control, the so-called filtration. This often lasts several hours, during which people’s personal belongings are checked and they themselves are interrogated, says Stratilo: “It’s a pretty strict procedure that causes stress and anxiety. And not everyone is let out of Russia. Those who get through, then has to walk two kilometers from the Russian to the Ukrainian checkpoint.” This transition is extremely difficult for older and sick people or small children.

More than 20,000 Ukrainians have come through the crossing so far

In Ukraine, arrivals from Russian-occupied Ukrainian areas are also being questioned, including by the Ukrainian secret service. That evening, an old lady even arrived in a wheelchair; fellow refugees took turns pushing her. She now wants to go on to her daughter in Kiev.

According to the Sumy regional military administration, between April 2022 and October 2023, more than 20,000 people entered Ukraine from Russia through the humanitarian border crossing.

Emotional crises and lack of mental health

After eating at the large kitchen table, everyone gets on a yellow bus that takes them to the regional capital, Sumy, to spend the night. In a refugee center they are informed, among other things, about their rights and entitlements to support as internally displaced persons, says experienced social worker Olha Kovalenko. She works for the non-governmental organization “SOS Vostok” and waits for those arriving.

Many only have one bag with them, says Kovalenko. “Many people’s mental health has suffered greatly. That’s why there are psychologists and therapists here. You have to work with these people for a long time. They are often depressed and in emotional crises.”

People can also eat, shower and rest in the center in Sumy. If you want, you can also get rid of the Russian rubles, which the Russian occupiers introduced as a forced currency in the occupied Ukrainian territories. “For rubles only,” it says on a small cardboard box.

No money for escaping Russian occupation

In addition, many fear for relatives who did not come with them but remained under Russian occupation. Some want to look after the house or apartment, others don’t want to leave their old parents alone. But people also stay behind because the escape money isn’t enough for everyone, internally displaced people say again and again. Because you would have to expect the equivalent of around 250 euros per person. Pensioner Valentina’s husband didn’t come because of the animals and dogs that needed to be looked after. “This is very difficult for me. We want to go back home and are absolutely sure that we will return,” she says.