The UN puts the death toll among the civilian population at over 56,000; 2025 was the deadliest year, according to data confirmed by UkraniaSOS. This senseless horror has entered its fourth year in Ukraine, causing the displacement and refuge of more than six million people in Europe and testing the will and solidarity of the Basque people, whose public-private Sustainable Reception system is now a leading example in Europe. (Autor: Mireia Ochoa Arratibel)
Four years after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna Kaminska, co-founder of ‘UkraniaSOS’ and the ‘EUSKRANIA’ community, recounts her personal and collective experience in an interview with journalist Alazne Rubio Lozano. She shares how a team of 200 volunteers, with the collaboration of responsible companies and the support of Basque institutions, has transformed the care and assistance provided to hundreds of displaced and refugee families into a model of sustainable social innovation, recognized in Europe for its efficiency and effectiveness.
“Well-understood and well-managed cooperation” is the purpose for this group, which fosters the integration of those striving to overcome adversity. They focus their energy on “the intersection of empowerment and opportunities in the environment,” to ensure that the reception processes are an efficient and supportive response and, at the same time, a way to evolve and enrich society.
The community, created the day after the start of the war in 2022, facilitated the departure and reception of more than 5,000 people, following a ’10-Step Plan’ co-created by volunteers. This plan has fostered their integration into different regions and is undoubtedly contributing to the socio-economic development of the Basque Country.
The positive impact began during the first months of the conflict, with the most difficult and uncertain situations being resolved through solidarity. More than 1,300 Basque families offered their homes to facilitate the reception of hundreds of people fleeing the horrors of war without resources or hope.
Katryna had already experienced this fear in 2014: she lived in Kherson, a city of 300,000 inhabitants near Crimea, similar to Bilbao in its industrial and maritime past, where today only a fifth of its population remains. “When you see a tank on TV, you might change the channel; when it drives past your house and you’ve just become a mother, you think about your family’s safety.” And so she decided to embark on a journey to the Basque Country, a choice that wasn’t made by chance; she arrived drawn by the social welfare and the “Bilbao effect,” which for her symbolized positive reconstruction, sustainable transformation.
Her first months in Bilbao were tough; “I sent out more than 500 resumes, but no one was interested in me, so I started my own business out of necessity.” Years later, her experience proved invaluable in developing UkraniaSOS, an organization that facilitates the integration of hundreds of families through Basque Government aid and personalized support programs encompassing social, cultural, and professional aspects. “We offer classes in Spanish and Basque, soft skills training, digital literacy courses, and technical and practical adaptation courses in various sectors,” she explains. This initiative enjoys strong support from the Department of Employment, Social Cohesion, and Equality of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
With this approach, they have successfully established over 750 employment contracts, many of which are now permanent, “because these are very responsible people with a strong desire to succeed.” To further their integration efforts, they have collaborated with other organizations and entities such as NegoBide – Círculo Empresarial Negocios y Valores, CaixaBank, Fundación la Caixa, MicroBank, Fundación Gondra Bararandiarán, Gaztaroa-Sartu-Zabaltzen, and the European Institute of Peoples Foundation, among others. “Employment and entrepreneurship dignify, combat loneliness, and foster autonomy,” emphasizes Kaminska, whose team currently supports 1,600 people, 80% of whom are women with children.
They are now also building business bridges for reconstruction, facilitating knowledge, relationships, and access to European tenders: “We hope the war ends soon and that international common sense prevails. Ukraine wants to be reborn as a new country with ‘Sustainable Human and Economic Development’ at its core; the country has excellent examples of a strong social fabric, business ecosystem, and Basque institutions.”
Individuals, organizations, companies, and institutions can show their solidarity with the Communities of Support for Ukraine through: www.UkraniaSOS.eus
Full interview, HERE.