“Panic broke out in Ukraine,” says Andrea Reisinger, head of the department for international disasters and crises at the Austrian Red Cross (ÖRK). “People buy hamsters, they line up in front of gas stations and banks.” Communication with her Ukrainian colleagues was partly broken off because they fled to air raid shelters or subway stations. War has been raging since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Thursday. Millions of people are likely to be on the run, and many are wondering how they can help in the face of this need in the middle of Europe. “With monetary donations,” says Andrea Reisinger, who heads the WCC’s Ukraine mission. These funds would be forwarded to the Ukrainian Red Cross. This would have been preparing disaster preparedness plans for weeks. “It’s about covering people’s basic needs such as food, drinking water, hygiene items, heating materials and emergency shelter,” says Reisinger.
Prepare for refugees
Even before the war broke out, 2.9 million people in Ukraine were dependent on humanitarian aid, says Marion Huber, department head at Caritas Upper Austria: “This situation will now get much worse.” Caritas has therefore increased direct emergency aid. “We immediately forwarded 300,000 euros to ensure the supply of the essentials.”
Therefore, Caritas is also asking for monetary donations. “Donations in kind don’t make sense, Ukraine is in a state of emergency, we can’t organize any transport,” explains Huber. With funds, on the other hand, Caritas Ukraine can organize what is necessary.
“Our partner organizations in the region know exactly what is needed,” agrees Maria Katharina Moser, Director of Diakonie Austria. Donations are collected so that these partners, with whom Diakonie has been connected through a church network for years, can help. “It is also important that we as a diaconia are immediately available with refugee aid when people come to Austria,” says Moser. “We all hoped until the last second that there would be no fighting. This war in the middle of Europe fills us with horror. We want to counter this with solidarity.”
Children’s village evacuated
The Volkshilfe Oberösterreich is also preparing to take in refugees, says Chairman Michael Schodermayr. Because the United Nations expect up to four million refugees from Ukraine. “On Monday there will be a video conference with the aid organizations and the Ministry of the Interior, where the further strategy will be discussed,” says Schodermayr.
He, too, is asking for funds to be donated to the needy through a sister organization in Ukraine, as is SOS Children’s Villages. “We think we have the opportunity to support 45,000 to 50,000 people, so we ask for donations,” says Managing Director Elisabeth Hauser. She reports that an SOS Children’s Village in Luhansk in the fiercely fought battle in eastern Ukraine has already had to be evacuated. “We are shocked,” says Hauser.
Volkshilfe chairman Schodermayr also expressed his horror. “We all grew up with the illusion that peace is a given,” he says. “Now we see: Peace is fragile.”
Scheuer: “It’s a cruel game”
Yesterday at 3 p.m. church bells rang throughout Austria for peace in eastern Ukraine. Numerous religious communities had called for the minute of silence across denominations.
The Bishop of Linz, Manfred Scheuer, and the Superintendent of Upper Austria, Gerold Lehner, celebrated the minute of silence together in the Mariendom and then invited people to pray. In a joint statement, both expressed their dismay at the situation. “Now it is the task of diplomacy and politics to prevent the situation from escalating further. It’s a cruel game in which I hope that the victims are safe with God,” said Scheuer. Superintendent Lehner quoted a line in the Magnificat: “May God overthrow the tyrants.”
Minutes of silence were also observed yesterday in numerous other churches. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn sharply criticized Russia’s actions in advance: “Russia has attacked Ukraine, is invading an independent country, disregarding its sovereignty.”
The heads of the Greek Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim faith communities also issued statements yesterday expressing their dismay at the situation in Ukraine. The ORF interrupted its program during the minute of silence.
Monday, 7 p.m., Manfred Scheuer, Gerold Lehner and the pastor of the Martin Luther Church, Wolfgang Ernst, invite you to pray for peace in the cathedral.
Providers make calls and SMS in Ukraine free of charge
Telekom Austria is making all calls and SMS to the Ukraine and from there to Austria free of charge for its customers with A1, yesss, bob and XOXO until further notice. The offer applies to landline and mobile customers. Data roaming and the associated fees for using mobile data are also eliminated. It includes both private and business customers.
The telephone providers Magenta and Drei have made similar arrangements for their offers. Until further notice, Deutsche Telekom is also offering free calls and SMS to Ukraine for its customers and those of its subsidiaries.
Ukrainians are demonstrating in Linz today
linz. The Ukrainian community in Upper Austria is calling for a rally against the Russian armed forces invading their homeland: Today at 2 p.m. a protest action will start on the main square in Linz, with which the Ukrainians will express their protest against the war and solidarity with the fellow citizens who have remained in the country want to show. “The community is deeply affected and dismayed by the situation,” describes the Linz painter Lukas Johannes Aigner, whose wife is from the Ukraine. Already on Thursday evening there was a first meeting of the community to explore possibilities of protest and help.
Source: Nachrichten
