'I still believe most Czechs support us': Ukrainians in Prague face uncertainty with resilience

“We want to say to Ukraine: you are not alone. We are with you! This is our fight for our future,” stated Czech NGO People in Need, one of the organizers of the upcoming United for Ukraine rally set to mark three years since Russia invaded the country.

Three years after the start of a war that Moscow had hoped would last three days, thousands of people are expected to take part to the series of events, talks, marches and protests organised throughout the weekend, and culminating with a rally on Old Town Square on Monday afternoon and a concert at Forum Karlín in the evening.

This won’t be the first rally for Svyatoslav Kalishchuk, a 28-year-old Ukrainian born in the Lviv region, in the west of the country, but raised in the capital city Kyiv.

Having moved to Prague in 2013, Svyatoslav was already active in marches and protests organized at a time when his native country was rocked by the Maidan revolution and faced Russia’s first military onslaught to take possession of Crimea and eastern regions.

“That’s when I met other activists from the Ukrainian community here in Prague,” he tells Expats.cz, “and I also got more and more involved in their activities.”

From debate moderation to live translation, folk concerts or kids-friendly entertainment, Svyatoslav had a hand in a myriad of events catering to the already sizeable Ukrainian minority established in Prague and other Czech cities.

Then came the full-scale invasion of February 2022, with hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war making their way to Czechia and other neighbouring countries. Today, the Czech Republic has the highest number of refugees per capita, and more than half a million Ukrainians—about 5 percent of Czechia’s population and half of all foreigners—are estimated to be living here.

“I realized we had to do something different. Until then, many of the events held for the Ukrainian minority were pretty old-school, meant for people who were nostalgic for the country they had left, which for many was the Ukraine of the 1990s,” he says.

With the new wave of war refugees arriving in the country—many of them children, minors or young people—a new approach was necessary.

That’s when Svyatoslav, along with other friends, co-founded the NGO Spilka Centrum, a cultural event/community centre catering to Ukrainians in Prague, and fostering intercultural dialogue with Czechs—as well as other expat communities thanks to a growing event offer that increasingly includes English-friendly ones.

Spilka’s flagship, Ukrainian-language events include a recurring meetup (speed-dating style, but of a friendly/networking nature rather than a romantic one) and a pub quiz where additional points may be given for false albeit funny answers.

A partnership with Bio Oko also brings monthly Ukrainian movies to the screens, with subtitles, while a new theater production playfully blends Czech and Ukrainian to spotlight the similarities—and false friends—between the two Slavic languages.

“Our events are really meant to give a connection to Ukraine to everyone and create a sense of community,” Svyatoslav tells us, further mentioning a smaller, subscription-based group who spontaneously organize activities between themselves, from bike tours to public-speaking workshops or running events.

“The community lives by itself and comes with its own suggestions, and that’s the goal: providing something that people actually need, even if it’s just a need for company."

A lot has changed in three years. From bookshops and bars to restaurants or clothing stores, thousands of new businesses were created by Ukrainians, who now contribute more to the Czech state budget than they receive in benefits.

Many of those companies and businesses, evidently, were created by those who moved here after the 2022 invasion. “At the start, many of them were saying that they were not planning on staying too long, despite being very grateful for the welcome. But now, they want stability and are really considering staying here in the long-term."

From legal challenges to the language barrier, hurdles remain for some, but surveys have shown that the vast majority of adult refugees have found work—although many have been forced to work below their qualifications, or under dubious contracts drafted by unscrupulous employers.

“Of course, we’ve seen a growing populist discourse in Czechia directed against Ukrainians, with a lot of nonsense,” Svyatoslav says. “Ukrainians are accused of not working at all, and at the same time of stealing all the jobs."

But according to the 28-year-old, “I still feel that the majority of Czechs are with us and support us,” In the coming days, Svyatoslav intends to take an active part in the events and marches marking the three-year anniversary.

But marking the day also takes more intimate, less public expressions. “I always talk to my mother, who works as a doctor in Kyiv. It’s her birthday."

Czechia, particularly Prague, will hold several events commemorating three years since the start of the full-scale war. Mikuláš Kroupa, director, and founder of the Post Bellum non-governmental organization, anticipates a large turnout at this weekend’s upcoming events, estimating over 20,000 participants, estimating over 20,000 people.