My name is Sophie, I’m 21 years old, and since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I’ve spent most of my time in Porto, Portugal. I work as a graphic designer, have a contract with a modelling agency, and since last year, I’ve been organizing events to promote Ukrainian culture abroad. A significant portion of my time is devoted to volunteering: not just fundraising but also communication, searching, purchasing, and sending aid to Ukraine. Volunteering is a large amount of work.
What was your morning like on February 24, 2022?
Just mentioning it gives me chills… On February 24, I was in Kyiv with my parents. I already had a strange feeling that I should be at home that day. We were all sitting together, laughing in the kitchen as usual; it was loud. I remember hearing the sound of fireworks outside the window two weeks before, and on the morning of February 24, I woke up to explosions. I went to the kitchen, thinking they were fireworks, but realized that no one in the family was asleep…
Everyone immediately understood what was happening. My dad and brother went to withdraw cash and fill up the car with petrol, while my mum and I stayed home. I suggested packing our things and preparing to leave for Europe, but unfortunately, no one listened to me. My parents said they would stay. When we said goodbye, we promised to see each other in three days, but it took six months before we saw each other again… That day, I packed my suitcase, documents, and told my boyfriend that my family didn’t want to leave, so we went to his parents’ house in Cherkasy, where we lived for the next two weeks. That’s how we separated from my family.
During that time, I was constantly talking to friends: whom to help, where to donate money, sending aid… At the same time, I didn’t know what to do because I couldn’t return to Kyiv due to the danger. Later, a friend from Portugal messaged me: «Sonia, if you can come by Monday, we’ll have a photoshoot.» And since I’m a model, I thought, why not? I found people who helped me leave, and they took me to the border, which I crossed quickly on March 8, and three days later, I was in Portugal.
How did you adapt to the new country?
I came to Portugal alone. I remember that on February 24 I realized that I must help others. Likewise, I was raised with fierce patriotism and love for people. When I first arrived in Portugal, I felt I could finally breathe, but watching the news made me cry and suffer, wondering when all this would end. Fortunately, I was with a friend who knew Portuguese, and she, along with her parents, helped me quickly process my documents. She was happy I came, but it was hard for me to enjoy life while my family and nation were in a war disaster.
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Later, I attended a Ukrainian exhibition in Porto, where I met new people, but I didn’t like how Ukrainian culture was represented. I’m a graphic designer with two years of industry experience, familiar with art directors and illustrators, and with the level of Ukrainian culture and art in Kyiv. Seeing how Ukrainian art was represented, I thought, «No… Not at this level; it needs to be better!» I think this idea became my lifeline. That’s when I started organizing an exhibition under my Ukrainearteria project.
How did the idea for Ukrainearteria project begin?
After realizing the inadequate representation of Ukrainian culture, I started working on a new idea. I saw that we had stronger artists, and could choose a different venue, and my imagination kicked in. I realized that we could support Ukraine not only through war efforts but also through the excellent level of art with professional and creative people. Although I understand that the creative industry and agencies in Ukraine are relatively young and lack a coherent structure, we are already competing with creative agencies in Europe and America.
I thought about it for several weeks; it was difficult: life was on hold, waiting to return to Kyiv, to my student years, cool design projects, my studies… When I embraced the idea of the exhibition, I started gathering a list of artists: those who paint, do 3D work, or create digital posters. Finding a venue was the next step. The main idea was to showcase the high level of Ukrainian art.
What challenges did you face, and what motivated you to continue implementing your exhibition idea?
The main motivation was to collect donations from the exhibition, distribute them to various fundraisers, and help. I dreamed of buying ammunition in Portugal, thinking everything would be better in Europe, but it turned out that without licenses, it was impossible. So I thought, if that’s the case, I’ll take euros home to help with it…
Additionally, the motivation was to promote Ukrainian culture among Europeans, make new contacts, and strengthen the social circle. Gathering, donating, and uniting Ukrainians, because many Ukrainians came, met each other, asked how they could help, and connected with each other. I liked that thanks to this exhibition, I was engaged in something useful, and when you’re immersed in this circle, understanding how many people help each other, your faith doesn’t waver. It gives you such a spark.
There were difficulties at every step: language, lack of money, and many processes work differently in this country. For example, emails usually go unanswered; you have to call or speak in person. I didn’t know what to do with taxes because we weren’t registered. It also turned out that you can’t play loud music or invite DJs without a license… Then there was the preparation of prints; very often, the print shops didn’t speak English.
There’s also a story with advertising. For example, if someone had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have believed that the best communication channel for the Portuguese audience is the radio. And here I was thinking about posters, digital, targeted ads on Instagram, right? Then my team and I were looking for a location, and the owners asked a lot of questions about what we were doing. The Portuguese love stories when they feel they’re doing something important.
How did the local community respond to your events, and did they join in helping?
Overall, people were quite positive, considering it was April 2022, the third month of the Russian invasion, and everyone was still concerned about how difficult things were. And here comes a 19-year-old Ukrainian girl asking for help. Of course, they helped and treated us with kindness and respect.
Regarding feedback… Well, we received different responses. For example, when you ask someone for help, an administrator or a restaurant waiter, you see their willingness, but due to the establishment’s policy, they can’t help. On the other hand, two days before the exhibition, we were running around cafes, distributing additional advertisements among locals, and a sweet waitress grabbed our booklets and asked how she could help. Then she approached tables, handed out flyers, and told customers about the event. One of those flyers brought a Portuguese collector and his wife to our exhibition, who bought some of our paintings.
In your opinion, how has the life of the Ukrainian community in Portugal changed since the beginning of the russian invasion?
After a recent trip to Germany, I realized how strong the Ukrainian diaspora is in Portugal. You can even see it in the chats. I can’t speak for all of Europe because I’ve realized how different it is, but in Portugal, the Ukrainian community has significantly strengthened. For example, when I first arrived in Porto, I was surprised at how little there was of Ukrainian presence, but Ukrainians didn’t make us wait long: within a few months, more Ukrainian businesses emerged, chefs, photographers, accountants, financiers, yoga, vocals, the event industry, fairs like «Vsi.svoi» but in Portugal. The Ukrainian diaspora has established itself and works together for the benefit of Ukraine. Also, many Ukrainians in Portugal speak Ukrainian, which makes me very happy.
At the beginning of the invasion, mutual support was noticeable: people wrote guides on how to exchange rights, obtain a residence permit, make payments, and rent housing; everything was very structured. IT specialists connected a bot that helped search through Ukrainian telegram channels for things like classifieds or delivery to Ukraine. One of our favourite men established delivery to Ukraine in 3-4 days, arriving in a van, urging: «Support Ukrainian – order T-shirts, vyshyvankas…»
So yes, we have a very friendly community in Portugal. I thought it was like this everywhere, but, for example, in Germany, many chats are in Russian, if there’s help, it’s only for money, everyone is aggressive, and there wasn’t a single Ukrainian business in the city.. Even Russians claimed to be from Kharkiv, posing as Ukrainians. Portugal is like heaven and earth, and I like that you can find everything you need here.
End of the first part of the interview. Read the second part by the link.
Translator: Mykyta Budnyk
