Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 900 people with Ukrainian citizenship have arrived in northern Macedonia, according to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Currently, 200 of them have sought help from the Red Cross in the country, while none of them is registered as refugees.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Skopje Natalia Zadorozhnjuk says that all those staying in northern Macedonia are applying for temporary accommodation, which gives them the opportunity to work and receive social assistance. .
“Ukrainian citizens temporarily residing in the Republic of Northern Macedonia do not apply for refugee status, but instead apply for temporary accommodation, in which case they are granted a temporary residence permit in Macedonia. North in a term of up to one year for humanitarian reasons. Citizens of Ukraine who are provided with such documents will be entitled to employment and social protection in the country.
“An important help from your country will be the solution of medical care and the inclusion of Ukrainian children in the educational process,” said Ambassador Zadorozhnjuk.
One of the Ukrainians who has settled in northern Macedonia is Stojana Semenova, who abandoned her hometown of Kharkiv in Ukraine after being bombed by Russian forces.
Together with her mother and son, she settled with friends in the village of Negorci in Gevgelija, where she teaches online to her students in Ukraine.
She says that still every morning she fails to accept the fact that such a fierce war is taking place in her hometown.
“When I looked at the boy, I realized that I might not be able to see him grow up. “At that moment, I was very disappointed that something could happen to him because I did not take him away from Kharkiv,” Semenova told Radio Free Europe.
She says she does not want refugee status as she plans to return to her homeland where she has her husband and father once the situation calms down.
“No one wants to stay in Europe, which is strange. My students, even none of the friends I have, no one wants to live in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, not even in the UK or Germany. “Everyone has the mind to return to Kharkiv”, Stojana Semenova emphasizes.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Ukraine in Skopje, Natalia Zadorozhnjuk, thanked all the citizens and institutions of Northern Macedonia for the humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
“Currently in Ukraine there is a need for any kind of food, first of all for longer-term foods, medicines (especially for those medicines that are against pain) and hygiene products. “This is exactly what our humanitarian points are mostly receiving as help from companies and citizens, to whom we are very grateful and appreciate what they share with Ukraine at the moment.”
“Despite this, with the organization of the Ukrainian Embassy and associations and with the help of leading financial organizations, companies, companies, trade chains, fraternal cities in Northern Macedonia, we have already sent 120 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. I am sincerely grateful! “This assistance is not in words, but in deeds,” said Ukrainian Ambassador Natalia Zadorozhnjuk.
