Volodymyr Arabadzhi was born on 6th June 1980 in Mariupol, Donetsk region. He worked in internal affairs, then at the Azovstal plant where he received an injury that led to locomotor disability.

Until 24th February, 2022, he lived in the village of Staryi Krym on the outskirts of Mariupol with his wife and son. He was a social activist, loved travelling.

For now, home for me is the place where I was born, where I have a house now… After my injury, I lived with my father and my family for a very long time there, in a small space, let’s say… The year before last, we bought a house for ourselves and completely adapted it for me. There is a large kitchen, a large bathroom… After a long while, let’s say, I finally started to bathe by myself. I got my own bathtub. It [the house — translator’s note] was a very comfortable place, a place that was loved. We have a lot of trees there, planted last year, flowers… This is what became a real home for us. This place to which we just had to turn our backs and leave”.

THE BEGINNING

OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR.

MARIUPOL

For Volodymyr, the war began in January 2015 — during the shelling of the Vostochnyi microdistrict in Mariupol. For the next seven years, Volodymyr Arabadzhi and his family were still living near Mariupol.

“On 12th February, my father and his wife gathered the whole family to celebrate my birthday: me, my children, my wife’s children, neighbours... Somehow it hadn't happened for a long time. But this time he gathered the whole family — yeah, we managed to do it. And sitting at the table, I had a flash of déjà vu: it had already happened in my life. It was in 2014 when these rallies began. And when I saw all this, just walking through the city… You feel that the reality around you is changing… So, on the 12th, I had this. Sitting at that table, I felt that again, I had exactly the same feeling that the reality around me was changing for the second time. And I also had a feeling that this group will not gather at this table anymore. And, unfortunately, I don’t know if some of my relatives are alright…”.

The understanding of the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war came to the man on 12th February 2022 during a family celebration.

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Volodymyr learned about the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine thanks to his father’s early call on 24th February 2022.

Фото 10. У невеличкій світлій кімнаті сімейне застілля. Довгий стіл накритий скатертиною із квітами та ломиться від усіляких домашніх страв. За ним сидять численні родичі — хто на вкритому килимком дивані із тигровим малюнком, хто на стільцях чи табуретах. Володимир на дивані на чолі столу. Він саме щось говорить до людини, що фотографує. На чоловікові сіра кофтина, а на шиї видно ланцюжок. Дружина та син Володимира сидять поруч в іншому кінці столу. Вона з розпущеним волоссям у квітчастій сорочці; очі підведені чорним, а на губах лежить червона помада. Жінка всміхається. Син у світло-сірій кофті теж усміхається і ніби щось говорить.

Our morning started with a phone call. My father called me and said: ‘It has begun’. I asked: ‘What has begun?’ I mean, I already knew… We were still sleeping. It was early, around 6 o’clock in the morning, it was not even yet there, it was still dark. So, he said, it has begun… I knew what has begun. He said that there were missiles, that the war started, that Russia invaded, and the war started, yes... And this is how 24th February started for us”.

The shelling of the city began almost immediately after that. Therefore, Volodymyr started mapping the evacuation route, taking into account the availability of housing during the stops.

For me, not every apartment, not every house is comfortable. So I had to look for options to stay. And I remembered that here is the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Centre which I have been to more than once. I used to come there for training and active rehabilitation. So I called them and asked: ‘Can I come here?’ They said: ‘Yes, you can come.’ And then the decision was certainly made, I made it”.

PREPARING FOR EVACUATION

First of all, Volodymyr had a convincing conversation with his wife and son about the need to evacuate from the city. Then he started preparing the car for the 1200 km long journey. The Arabadzhi family took along, among everything else, things for comfortable living, warm clothes, and documents.

On the morning of 26th February 2022, Volodymyr and his family left Mariupol. The evacuation process to the town of Sianky, Lviv region, lasted 3 days.

On 26th [February — editor’s note], I got up in the morning. They [wife and son — editor’s note] were packing. I went to the nearest checkpoint and asked: ‘Are people allowed to go towards Zaporizhzhia?’ The policemen said: ‘Yes, you can go through.’ So I came back, took my family, and we left. At that time, it was safe, the whole road was safe. But there were sections where there were very long queues, we were stuck for a very long time”.

On the first night, from 26th to 27th February, the Arabadzhi family stayed in Kropyvnytskyi.

There were some acquaintances, the acquaintances of my wife. She called them, and they let us in a certain dacha… We spent the night there. We arrived very late, we just slept over… They also gave us a sack full of things. Like, they threw some clothes in there, some other regular things, towels…”.

They spent the next night (from 27th to 28th February) at the Dzherelo Training and Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv. On the morning of 28th February 2022, Volodymyr, his wife and son left Lviv and in the afternoon, arrived in Sianky, Lviv region.

I was driving for 2 days. In total, it took us 3 days to get there. The road was, like, very hard. The first night we spent in Kropyvnytskyi. Someone hosted us there. The second night we stayed in Lviv, in ‘Dzherelo’, if you know. I called them too and asked to host us. I am very grateful to them. And then we arrived here, sometime in the afternoon, on the 28th”.

The Arabadzhi family settled in the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Centre of the National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine. They were allocated a separate room with a bathroom. The room was quite suitable for people with locomotor disabilities.

The conditions I live in now are very comfortable for me. This centre is adapted for people with disabilities… It is designed to train Paralympians… Therefore, it is quite comfortable. And I feel very good in this place”.

LEAVING UKRAINE

In late spring 2022, after the final destruction and occupation of their hometown Mariupol, the Arabadzhi family started considering the possibility of moving abroad.

Looking at the way the situation was developing, — that nothing was changing, that in the near future, we will have nowhere to return to because the territory where we live is now occupied, the city is completely destroyed, — we decided that we still need to live somehow and do something in this life, so we decided to move abroad”.

They were choosing between two destinations: Norway and Switzerland. They decided for the latter due to its convenient geographical location and favourable climate.

On 1st June 2022, the Arabadzhi family left Ukraine for Poland through the Maly Berezny checkpoint. The first stop was Krakow, Poland. Only there, the family’s plans changed dramatically, and they headed to Norway expecting this country to have a better policy towards people with disabilities.

Фото 4. Селфі родини Арабаджі на головній площі Кракова. Камеру тримає дружина — усміхнена круглолиця жінка з довгими каштановими локонами. У неї тонкі брови, сіро-зелені очі з довгими підфарбованими віями та повні губи, підведені рожевим олівцем. На жінці синя кепка та спортивна синьо-рожева куртка з блакитною блискавкою. Поруч стоїть, усміхаючись, син, — високий хлопчик років дванадцяти в чорній панамці та чорно-бежевій спортивній куртці. У нього на спині рюкзак, а під пахвою пляшка соку. Хлопчик має овальне обличчя та великі відстовбурчені вуха, темні брови, великі карі очі мигдалевидної форми та тонкі губи. У нього, як і у батьків, широкий ніс. Трохи позаду — Володимир у темно-синій куртці. З-під куртки видно теплу кофту із блакитним капюшоном.

We arrived in the evening, at nine or eight o’clock, I don’t remember. And then it so happened that we could not find any accessible housing. We were driving around the city for five hours. Eventually, we even had to try the most expensive hotels. Everything was booked there. For the first time in our lives [smiling — editor’s note] it happened that we could not find a place to stay overnight. I mean, there were some hotels, after all: the second, third, fourth floor — there were some. But we could not find one suitable for me. And this was the first time I had to spend the night in the car”.

On 3rd June, Volodymyr Arabadzhi, his wife and son travelled to Gdynia, Poland, from where they were to take a ferry to Sweden. There they faced the problem of finding accessible accommodation to stay overnight.

We chose Norway, after all. I talked a lot with people in the chats, and they said that people with disabilities would feel very comfortable here. Here the state itself treats people with disabilities in such a way that it helps them in everything. That is, if they provide you with housing, if the country provides you with housing, then for people with disabilities, they provide the housing that will be comfortable for people with disabilities. That is, if the housing is uncomfortable, they will make sure to equip it. There is also help in terms of medical care, including one for people like me. There were many nuances which, despite everything, prevailed. At the last moment we made a decision and went in a completely different direction”.

On 4th June, the ferry with the Arabadzhi family on board set sail for Sweden.

And only from there, on 5th June, Volodymyr Arabadzhi and his family went to Oslo, Norway. They spent the first two nights at a local woman’s place who volunteered to help them via social media.

And on 7th June 2022, they were hosted in a hotel as refugees. After staying there for 10 days, the Arabadzhi family received temporary housing, and now they are waiting to be provided with the permanent one.

Фото 8. Селфі сім’ї на тому самому прогулянковому судні. Камеру тримає дружина. Хлопчик обіймає її однією рукою, а іншою вказує на батька, що сидить між ними у блакитній кофті. Усі троє усміхаються. Позаду стоять або сидять за столиками інші люди.

Фото 9. Фото здалеку. Володимир із сином сидять на пірсі ріки: батько на кріслі колісному, син склавши ноги по-турецьки. Чоловік у світлій футболці, шортах і кепці, а хлопчик у чорній кофті з капюшоном і темних штанах. Між ними лежить чорний рюкзак. Обабіч пірса простирається чиста синя ріка. У її брижах віддзеркалюється ясне небо, а яскраве сонце залишає у воді сяйну доріжку. Уздовж дальнього берега, що густо вкритий зеленню та деревами, ходять катери.

Here, we received a room. It is big: three beds and a shower with a toilet. We cook our own food, there is a common kitchen here. As for now, there are, I guess, 65 of us, Ukrainians, living here. It is actually for drug addicts, this facility. And there is a wing for us. Ukrainians live here, there is a common kitchen, we cook our own food and buy necessary things for ourselves”.

After that, Volodymyr Arabadzhi’s family members will be able to attend language courses and to participate more actively in the life of the local community.

Фото 7. Витягнувши руку із «Самсунгом» у червоному чохлі, дружина Володимира фотографує себе з сином. Вони стоять, приобійнявшись, на кормі судна з дерев’яним леєром. Жінка одягнена у джинси та світло-бузкову сорочку поверх блакитного гольфа. Її локони вже майже розкрутилися. Хлопчик у чорній кофті на блискавці з капюшоном і в темно-синіх штанах «Найк». У нього темне волосся з короткою гривкою. Мати та син усміхаються. Позаду небо у пухнастих хмарах, що на обрії рожево-золотаве.

I really want some kind of permanence. I want to know that I live somewhere… We’re already thinking, thinking about how we will live, what we will do next. We want something of our own, to settle down and think about what to do next”.

Volodymyr hopes for the victory of Ukraine and for the soonest possible meeting with his family at a common holiday table at home.

I hope that I will celebrate the victory at the table, with my family, like it was on 12th February… I hope that in the near future, I will sit at the same table with my family… At home”.

Volodymyr Arabadzhi