Ukrainian refugees brought to Glasgow under the Scottish Government's 'super sponsor' scheme fear being left in the streets.
About 500 refugees brought to the country are yet to be placed in permanent accommodation and are waiting in hotels that are now asking them to leave.
Last week the Scottish Government announced it had to pause the sponsor scheme for three months because of a lack of suitable accommodation. A disused cruise ship has now been chartered in Leith to house some of the displaced refugees reports the Sunday Mail.
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The group of eight, who have been living in hotel rooms since they arrived, say the sudden move has left them uncertain about their future.
They were moved from their first hotel at short notice after arriving earlier this month and say they have been given little information about what will happen next. Tetyana Podoltsev and her 15-year-old son Mykyta were among the group that were left fearing they would end up on the streets.
Mykyta said: “Upon arrival, we and six other people checked into the Premier Inn hotel in Glasgow city centre. We were dropped off and told, ‘You’ll stay here for a while,’ but that was it.
“During our stay at the hotel, we were never contacted by a representative of the country regarding our further actions. Then last Wednesday morning at 9am we were told to leave the hotel because our rooms are already rented by other people.
“We panicked – we had nowhere else to go. We tried calling, emailing and texting everyone at the Government we could but they didn’t answer. For many of us, there is also a language barrier so that doesn’t help.
“So from midday that day we were left sitting with our bags at the hotel reception until the staff told us to leave the building. We were scared we were going to be on the streets.
“We have now been moved to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow and told we will be here for a few days but after that we have no idea. There was no communication, plan or anyone to contact for help. We have since contacted Glasgow City Council and they hope to sort something but what it will be we are not sure.”
Mykyta and Tetyana, 56, fled their hometown of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied since the beginning of the Russian invasion. His dad Ihor, 57, and brother Dmitry,33, were forced to stay behind.
Mykyta said: “We didn’t want to leave our family or our home but, due to the Russian war, life was unbearable. There was no food, no jobs. We had to leave my dad and brother behind because when you get to the Ukrainian border they check your passport and if you are aged 16 to 60 you have to stay and fight.
“My mum and I left in a van covered in a thin sheet of plastic and drove for 14 hours along a road broken to rubble by fighting. From there we travelled to Poland and then to Scotland. It’s been horrendous and, while we are grateful to be here, we didn’t expect so much uncertainty.
“We have all experienced the horrors of war and were looking forward to finding refuge and protection in Scotland. There was no future and it wasn’t safe, which is why we took refuge in Scotland.
“We have already lost our homes, jobs, and friends in Ukraine. We are traumatised and now helpless in a foreign country with limited English. It just feels like we are in a hopeless situation.”
Liudmyla Skyba, 54, was also among the group who were moved from the Premier Inn to the Radisson Blu. Liudmyla left her 30-year-old son behind in Kyiv to seek refuge in Scotland.
She said: “We called everyone we could but everyone just said they couldn’t assist us. There is no clear plan. We just don’t know.”
While the Scottish Government’s chartered cruise ship arrived at Leith from Estonia on Monday, the refugees have no idea if that’s where they’ll end up. Natalie Yareshko, 29, who fled Vasilkyv in the Kyiv region and has been put up in the Radisson Blu, doesn’t think accommodation on a ship will be a viable long-term option.
Natalie, who left her husband behind to fight in the war, said: “We haven’t been told anything about a ship but I don’t think putting lots of people to live on a cruise ship will be a suitable option. We don’t want to be cut off from normal life – we want to begin living now.
“I don’t want to spend months on a ship. I hope to find a job and a proper flat or house. I’ve been to the job centre in Glasgow already and there are lots of jobs here.
"There are opportunities. There was nothing left for us there, which is why we came, and I want to build a life here. Maybe when the war is over I’ll be reunited with my husband but until then he is there and I need to create a life to survive.”
Elvin Abdullaev, 21, from Lughank in eastern Ukraine, hopes to study in Scotland and find a career. He said: “We turned up and were put up in the Premier Inn and then moved to the Radisson Blu. It’s very nice and we’re grateful but long-term we want to build roots.
“Glasgow is a beautiful city with lots of old architecture but we are aware we could be sent anywhere. I went to university in Kyiv and I want to continue my studies here. I am desperate to find a job and career and make a life for myself.
“Because of the war, there were no jobs. I couldn’t earn much money to live and the price of everything is so expensive now. I’d like to be a director and I’d like to find a job as a photographer’s assistant. I’m hoping Scotland can offer me a future.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The welfare of all displaced Ukrainians staying in Scotland remains our absolute priority. We do not wish to see displaced people from Ukraine spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary, but it is important to ensure that longer-term accommodation is safe, suitable, and sustainable.”
Asked about the cost of the scheme, and how many people from Ukraine currently had longer-term accommodation in Scotland, the government was unable to answer. The spokesman said: “The overall costs for MS Victoria are similar to the costs for equivalent hotel rooms.
"Every effort will be made to ensure that guests on board have access to appropriate support services, including healthcare and benefits support. The Scottish Government is taking significant action to boost the matching system to maximise the number of displaced people placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks, to ensure accommodation is found as quickly as possible.”
The Premier Inn and Radisson hotel groups were asked to comment but did not respond.
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