Ukrainian pensioners in debt trap: help urgently needed!

Ukrainian pensioners in debt trap: help urgently needed!

In a remarkable incident last Friday, the Vira and Vladyslav Zemlianyi couple were confronted with a significant financial repayment of 3,200 euros due to social service fraud. The couple, who lives as refugees from Ukraine in Salzburg, receives 40 euros per month and a pension of around 60 euros. According to a letter from 2022, they should have reported this pension to the country, which, however, did not happen due to the great stress on arrival in Austria. "Dura Lex, SED Lex-the law is strict, but it is the law," said 68-year-old Vladyslav and emphasized her gratitude for the support in Austria, even if you now have to fight with financial difficulties, since you cannot pay off your debts from current living costs, as the money has already been spent, as has been reported.

strict regulations and personal challenges

The similar circumstances also put pressure on the 62-year-old Olena Bielik, who has to choose between debts in Austria and financial obligations in Ukraine. She also fights at high costs that arise despite the destruction of her apartment. In Salzburg, Ukrainian pensioners have started to ask Diakonie for support. The refugee service sees an increasing challenge in dealing with the generous but strict financial regulations. According to Susanne Kerschbaumer, head of the refugee service, an upper limit for the guest houses would be desirable, similar to how there is already a relaxation limit in basic care in order to enable pensioners a little more financial freedom.

The situation around the planned agreement between the USA and Ukraine is similarly tense about the precious mineral resources of the Eastern European country. President Wolodymyr Selenskyj recently traveled to the White House, where he met with exciting discussions with US President Donald Trump. It was about access to the huge occurrence of less frequent earths that Ukraine offers, and the conditions for building a reconstruction investment fund. Selenskyj and Trump struggled to use the basic features of the agreement to use future income from the Ukrainian resources for the economic stability of the country. This process could have massive effects on the Ukrainian economy, since the country not only has significant occurrence of critical minerals-for example 22 out of 34 EU-classified minerals-but also an important part of the global supply chains.

the fact is that Ukraine has massive mineral resources, some of which are under Russian control and whose loss severely limits the country's economic possibilities. The urgency of resource allocation and the difficult negotiations for the Ukrainian strategy in the current geopolitical situation are of great importance, since the country is still in a continuing war.