Three central panels of the conference covered from different angles the differences and similarities among Nordic, Baltic, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian societies. The first discussion titled “Baltic Bridge to Alienating Societies: Voices of Integration and Personal Narratives” focused on firsthand accounts from individuals who migrated to the Baltic countries from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The guests included Anna Tomilina from International Childhood Research institute, Aleksandr Kuchta – a priest who came from Belarus to Lithuania to join the emerging Orthodox Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate, coordinator of Caritas Humanitarian Aid for War Refugees from Ukraine in Kaunas Archdiocese Ksenija Nikolska, and Eglė Masevičiūtė – a manager at Vilnius Archdiocese Caritas Foreigners Integration Program. The panel was moderated by an independent journalist Natalia Frolova.
Participants of the first panel shared their experiences of coming to Lithuania, the challenges but also brighter sides of integration into the Lithuanian society. Most speakers stressed in one way or another that integration is a two-way process that requires effort from both sides – the migrants themselves, but also the host country, Lithuania and its citizens. All of the panelists are in some ways involved with the migrant communities in Lithuania and efforts to facilitate their integration. Anna Tomilina stressed that in her experience teenagers are one of the most vulnerable groups, that require special attention. Ksenija Nikolska from Ukraine made it a special point to thank Lithuania for all its efforts to welcome war refugees from Ukraine, while adding that she as believes that migrants must make an effort to integrate themselves.
The more scientific bit of the conference featured a panel titled “Exploring Integration: Expert Insights on Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian Communities in the Baltic States.” Esteemed experts, such as head of the Department of Ethnic Studies at the Institute of Ethnic Studies Dr. Monika Frėjutė-Rakauskienė, associate professor at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Yevhen Magda, clinical and social psychologist and sociologist Egor Burtsev and Honorary Fellow of Institute for Global and Sustainable Development Dr. Roza Turarbekova. Panel was moderated by editor-in-chief of ELTA Vytautas Bruveris.
The panel looked closer at scientific factors and facts associated with migration, integration, systemic barriers and collective versus individualised approaches. While essentially continuing the topic of the first panel, the second discussion complemented subjective migration experiences with a sociological, political, and psychological framework. The conversation, however, was not purely theoretical, as it also focused on relevant data and situation on the ground, especially in Lithuania. Dr. Monika Frėjutė-Rakauskienė presented social polling data that showed current attitudes towards living and working together with migrants in Lithuania and integration measures, highlighting a worrying rise in negative attitudes to people seen as “aliens.” The discussion also focused on the existing differences and tensions between Ukrainian and Russian migrants. Dr. Yevhen Magda highlighted the problematic linguistic perceptions faced by migrants who are seen as “Russian-speaking” due to Russian language becoming a forced “lingua franca” in the region, while clinical and social psychologist Egor Burtsev stressed the experiences of shame and alienation shared by some Russian migrants.
A particular highlight of the conference was the panel titled “Emigration on a Woman’s Shoulders: Exploring Changing Gender Roles in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia before Emigration and after Return”. The panel featured Olga Johannesson, author of the documentary project “Women in War,” Lina Šlipavičiūtė, co-author of “Escaped from the Hell” book and Eugenija Kovaliova from UKreate Hub. The panel was moderated by a Ukrainian journalist from Delfi Andžela Bubeliak.
Lina Šlipavičiūtė, co-author of “Escaped from the Hell” book, talked more about the women who became the heroes of her book – women who had to leave Ukraine because of the war. It was a particularly touching experience, said Lina, as in sharing their stories those women had to relieve the most traumatic experiences of their lives. Some developed coping mechanisms to deal with the psychological trauma – in particular, a few women said that daily rituals, such as cooking or applying cosmetics, helped them to cope with the stress. As many migrants, Ukrainian women had to leave behind their jobs, friends, and familiar places, unlike others, however, there is an added stress of leaving family members behind in war conditions or having husbands, fathers and sons fight in the frontlines. Some of the heroines of the book have returned to Ukraine since and stay in contact with Lina.
Olga Johannesson introduced the documentary project “Women in War,” funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project is a part of a wider “People to People” program, as its main idea is to let people tell their stories free of “political slogans”. “Women in War” provides a platform for women from Nordics, Baltics, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia to talk about many topics – but most importantly about the impact of the war in Ukraine on their lives. Besides a series of documentaries, the project also created a talking podcast as a part of popular “Nordic Talks” platform, which also aimed to raise awareness of the war and its impact on people among Nordic audiences. Olga proudly highlighted the growing popularity of the podcasts and the talks that were hosted later – also featuring women from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
The panel’s last presenter was Eugenija Kovaliova from UKreate Hub – an initiative created under Open Lithuania Foundation, which focuses on promoting democracy, rule of law and human rights in the country. Eugenija described the main idea behind the creation of the UKreate Hub initiative – while many basic needs of Ukrainian refugees were covered by Lithuanian and other organisations, there was also a high demand for self-actualisation from those Ukrainians who have settled down in Lithuania. The UKreate Hub is a community of Ukrainians, mostly women (“and that reflects the trend of migration”, stresses Eugenija), who engage in networking events, charity initiatives and collecting humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine. This is very important, emphasised Eugenija, as those women who participate in the Hub’s events feel like they can get out of the “survival mode” and to do something. The panel discussed the impact of migration on evolving gender roles and social perceptions, as women from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia adapt to new circumstances and fulfill different roles. As Lina Šlipavičiūtė put it: “Some of those women told me, that sometimes they feel like they have to be both women and men now.”
This publication has been produced with the financial support from the Nordic Council of Ministers. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the coordinators of this project and do not necessarily reflect the views or the policies of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
