Marianne Dyachenko grew up in Ukraine and moved to Germany in 1991, but most of her relatives still live there. A conversation about a family torn apart, the luck of having a German passport and political failure.
Interviewed by
Thilo Schroeder, Zolling
As soon as the Cold War was over, Marianne Dyachenko moved away from the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. The 52-year-old has lived in Germany, currently in Zolling, with her husband and two children, who are now grown, since 1991. The Russian invasion of her country of origin hits Dyachenko hard, because the rest of her family – parents, parents-in-law and siblings – continue to live in Ukraine. In an interview, conducted on the phone this Tuesday, the committed refugee helper reports on complicated exit conditions, why she is disappointed with international politics and how hard-fought German citizenship keeps the Zollinger family from being drafted into the Ukrainian army.