Russian hotel owner in Serbia welcomes Ukrainians
STORY: Russian hotel owner Mikhail Golubtsov says it was partly shame that prompted him to turn his cozy country inn, nestled in the hills of central Serbia, into a refuge for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion.
"At first, I was in shock and I was so ashamed. For some time I could not speak Russian, but when guests arrived and they spoke Russian to me, I spoke Russian as well. I think the only thing I can do now is to help Ukrainians somehow."
Many Ukrainian families have been torn apart, with most men aged 18 to 60 banned from leaving Ukraine as they may be called to fight in a war that since its start one month ago has killed thousands of civilians.
Ukrainian English teacher and mother of three Olga Manmar is one of the so far 34 refugees who have found safe haven at the hotel, having entered Serbia via Romania.
"I don’t know how this magic works. You cross the border, you know, it’s the same planet - but crossing the border you feel safe. It is a mad feeling, you know. It is, you know, the same air, same ground, you look around, but you cross the border, and you feel safe. But you feel so sorry about those who haven't crossed the border. That was very painful. The men cannot cross the border…so they will drive and then… [starts crying].”
Manmar traveled with her friend Anna Nizhegorodova, a Russian married to a Ukrainian who had been living in Kyiv for the past 15 years.
Nizhegorodova, whose two children are also with her, said she "felt nothing" when she arrived.
“In your mind, you understand that everything around you is very beautiful and very quiet. But you do not feel beauty, nothing. You simply want to cover yourself with a blanket for some time. I think we have all felt that because my children, it was like that - they lay down, wrapped themselves in blankets, looked at their phones and did not want to go anywhere.”
The United Nations says 3.8 million Ukrainians have fled since the war began, most of them to Poland and Romania. Only around 2,500 have come to Serbia so far, mostly as a stopover on their journey to western Europe.
Hotel owner Golubtsov – who left Russia in 2014 over what he called Moscow’s “unacceptable” annexation of Crimea - says Ukrainian refugees can stay at his serene spot for as long they need, free of charge.
