”Prudentópolis continues with its doors and with an open heart to the Ukrainian people as it did more than a hundred years ago, when it received the first immigrants who built their history here and directly influenced the way of life of our land”, says Osnei Stadler, mayor of Prudentópolis, in Paraná, one of the cities with the highest proportion of Ukrainian descendants in Brazil.
This Thursday (25), the city council sent a letter to Serhij Nadal, mayor of Ternópil, a city in western Ukraine that in 2019 became the sister of Prudentópolis. From there, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the waves of migrants who settled in the interior of Paraná came out.
For the time being, there is no organization set up to bring people to Brazil, because everything depends on the evolution of the conflict.
“We are working with a commission from the Ukrainian community in Paraná to bring in refugees, if necessary. The procedures are long and need approval at the federal and state levels, but Prudentópolis has families willing to receive them, and the city is ready to help with the assistance issue”, said the mayor of Prudentópolis, Osnei Stadler, to the report.
Edgar Belo, 60, a businessman in the construction industry, is one of the prudentopolitans who have already made their home available. He is from the fifth generation of descendants, but preserves the traditions and culture of the European country. He speaks fluent Ukrainian and keeps in touch with his relatives who live near Chernobyl.
“We are descendants, we are here to help. I spoke yesterday [quinta-feira, 24] with a cousin of mine: the company where he works was closed and he was sent home. He is 37 years old and is waiting to be drafted into the Army,” he says.
“We know that Brazil is very far [da Ucrânia], but just as we received migrants 130 years ago, we are ready to receive any refugees. Nobody here in Prudentópolis will close the door”, says Oksana Jadvizak, vice president of the Millennium Museum, a space that tells the story of Ukrainian immigration in the city.
The atmosphere is one of mourning and pride in the small municipality, located 200 kilometers from Curitiba, where 80% of the population is of Ukrainian descent.
Carrying Brazilian and Ukrainian flags and wearing traditional folk costumes, around 150 people gathered in the Ukraine square, in the center of the city, to pray in solidarity with the people of the European country and ask for peace.
Another act, convened by representative entities and Ukrainian churches in Brazil, is scheduled for 6 pm this Friday (25), at the Ukrainian Memorial, in Tingui Park, in Curitiba.
“As Brazilians, we are waiting for a position from our representatives. We also ask for humanitarian aid,” the Ukrainian Society of Brazil said in a statement.
