Ukrainian refugees in Ireland - Megathread

Whereas, the vast majority of opinions I've seen online have been quite welcoming and sympathetic to the Ukrainians themselves. There's two different issues here.

The first are the Ukrainians themselves. And then, the second is the Irish government response. That distinction is important because I've found that most opinions are critical of the government response, and wary of the broad welcome being given to the collective group of "Ukrainians".

However, Ukrainians aren't responsible for the extent that our politicians have given support, or the manner in which that support has manifested. I do think most people have the basic cop on to acknowledge that.

As for using online opinions as a measure of what people want in the RL? Nah. People express themselves differently when they're online... besides the reality is that a lot of people avoid posting those kinds of opinions online. It's been known to bite people in the ass when their identity is linked to something they've said previously.

1 Ukrainian hryvnia equals 0.031 Euro.

Think on that for a moment. Even if they had access to their bank accounts, the exchange rate to convert to euros would drop their assets considerably. That's assuming that they had savings or any substantial amount of money worth converting. And what happens after they return to Ukraine, having spent everything they had in Ireland, when they have to face a crippled economy, broken infrastructure, and elevated costs, simply due to the aftermath of the war?

Come on. Think about these things for a moment.

Secondly, in Ireland they would be considered decent jobs, but professions are treated differently depending on the country in question. It might help to consider how these kind of jobs were considered and paid in Ireland of the 60s/70s... cause I've heard by parents talk about their careers (both teachers) and there were many hard times before things got good.

It's worth remembering that Ukraine was/is the poorest nation in Europe. That's saying something considering just how bad many of the Eastern European or Balkan countries are like. Corruption was commonplace, so it's doubtful that professionals would receive the kind of salaries that would be considered normal for such careers here. Having the right family connections and other associations would be worth more in such a society.

I'm sure they can afford a cheap coat, but what happens after that? They're likely here for a year or two. Pure common sense would suggest saving what you have, and taking what is being offered, before shelling out yourself. And you'd be lying if you say you wouldn't do the same if you were in such a situation, or simply you're incapable of putting yourself in such a situation.

I'm rather critical of the government response to all of this, I do believe it should have been handled much better, and without excessive spending. I'm also concerned about what will happen to Ireland over the next decade because of all of this... however, that doesn't prevent me from attempting to understand where Ukrainians are coming from.

So what? As others have said, you don't know their circumstances, such as being a parent, or having some kind of disability. Even without those considerations, are you really telling me you think every male should be forced to fight if they don't want to? Wow... democracy, and personal freedoms really get dropped quickly when it applies to other people, and in this case, men in particular. There really are too many keyboard warriors around these days, who will likely never be put in such a situation.

As with anything, it's going to be a mixed bag. There's going to be chancers, scammers, and outright criminal behaviour. It's going to happen, because the opportunities are there, and because Ukrainian society/culture contained such behaviour before the war. Just as there's going to be plenty of genuine people in a bad situation.

It's still early days, and time will sort out the scammers because they'll be easy enough to spot, as Ireland or any western nation is incredibly regulated.. and these people are coming from a society where regulatory enforcement is spotty at best. The Irish public service will catch up after a bit, especially once our politicians stop making grandiose promises, and expecting others to bring them into reality.

I'm not in favour of this emotional guilt trip that many pro-Ukrainians engage in, but the simple reality is that we're committed. Complaining about Ukrainians isn't going to change anything except possibly create a hostile environment for them, which will only encourage a return of hostility. We're better than that, or at least, we should be. We should, though, be putting the hard questions to the polictians and to RTE, to encourage a public/national discussion regarding the overall topic.