In the ceramic vase are a Norwegian and a Ukrainian flag.
On TV, Ukrainian politicians and intellectuals discuss in a low voice and with striking calm.
They’re talking about that may happen.
Most recently today, Sunday, Elena Danyliuk (38) has been in contact with her parents in eastern Ukraine several times.
– Do not panic
– We all try to stay calm, and it is important in such a situation, not to panic or give Putin any pretext for invasion, Elena explains.
In the cozy apartment south of Bergen city center we meet Elena. Here she lives with her daughter Dzhuliya (13).
The two tell of nerve-wracking days filled with unrest.
– DAILY CONTACT: Every day – often several times a day – Elena is in contact with her parents Photo: Haakon Eliassen / TV 2
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– The first thing I do in the morning is call my parents. I am of course very worried, says Elena.
– How are your parents?
– My mother has just come out of hospital after being coronary heart disease. The doctor has recommended she go away. It is difficult, Elena admits.
Redd
– What do you think if war breaks out?
– Of course I’m scared. It is now very dangerous in Ukraine, and we do not know what is happening. But I try not to panic, says Elena calmly.
She tries to think calmly and analytically and together with her parents she has made a plan for next week.
The daughter Dzhuliya picks up the mobile phone and shows the map. 2400 kilometers away, her parents live in the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
– There, only 40 kilometers from the border to the breakaway republic, they live, Elena points out.
On a daily basis, Dzhuliya’s grandparents, who live close to the pro – Russian forces, hear the sound of gunfire.
– It is dangerous, and I am worried, says Elena.
Stressed
Elena came to Norway after first living in Poland for a few years. She currently works as a chef at Bergen Airport. The daughter is in 8th grade at Skranevatnet school in Sandsli.
– What is it like to live in Bergen and see what is happening in and around Ukraine?
– The whole situation stresses me out. It is only when I am at work that the thoughts about this let go, says Elena.
Elena misses Ukraine. What is happening now hurts her.
– I am grateful to live and work in Norway, and it is safe. But my “mother” is in Ukraine. And you only have one “mother”, and you do not want to lose it, she says gravely.
– COMMITTED: Elena Danyliuk believes only President Putin knows what is happening and that this is his big political game where Ukraine is at stake. Photo: Haakon Eliassen / TV 2
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The parents are leaving
Every hour the tension increases.
– I plan to get my parents out of Ukraine. When they are out, I probably get a little calmer, Elena explains.
She does not want TV 2 to write anything concrete about the plans for fear that it may make the situation more dangerous for the parents.
This weekend has strengthened Elena in the belief that a war is inevitable.
– Only Putin knows what will happen, but I’m pretty sure there will be a war. I do not trust anything he says.
She talks about the conditions in Russia and Ukraine, lack of freedom of the press and a feeling of constant dictatorship.
– We want a free, democratic and independent Ukraine, she emphasizes.
Elena has studied for several years at the university, has a master’s degree in economics and ecology, is interested in politics and is politically active in one of the local groups of the Labor Party in Bergen.
A reversal image
She is eager to elaborate:
– It is not the case that everyone living in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the so-called breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine, wants independence from Ukraine.
She believes it is not the case that most Ukrainians are so dissenting and hostile to each other.
– But this is also a propaganda war, says Elena and says that in the breakaway republic, it is Russian television broadcasts that reach – and thus affect – the inhabitants.
– FOLLOWS TV SHOWS: Elena and her daughter Dzhuliya (14) stay updated daily. Photo: Haakon Eliassen / TV 2
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But not everything has gone the wrong way. The conflict and unrest that has been going on for the last eight years have done something to the Ukrainian people’s soul.
– Ukrainians have become much more cohesive. Especially after the annexation of Crimea, says Elena.
But many are tired after years of conflict and unrest and do not want to leave the country, this especially applies to the older generation, Elena believes.
Wanted away from unrest
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and Russian-backed separatists took control of large areas of eastern Ukraine, not far from where she and her daughter lived. Then Elena made a choice.
– I did not want my daughter to grow up in such insecure conditions, and first emigrated to Poland.
Two years ago, the parents visited Norway. Daughter and granddaughter have not been able to travel to visit family in Ukraine due to the pandemic.
– I do not want my daughter to grow up in such conditions. I love my country, but I’m sorry for what’s happening.
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