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The members of the Ukrainian communities in the communes of Candesti and Mihaileni in Botosani County are showing their concern towards a possible intervention of Russian forces in Ukraine.
The ethnic Ukrainian population of Botosani manifests its solidarity with the citizens in all the regions of Ukraine and hopes, until the last minute, that the neighboring country will not be invaded.
The villagers in the villages Candesti or Rogojesti (Mihaileni commune) say that many of their relatives are in Ukraine and they fear for their lives and security, in the context of an eventual Russo-Ukrainian war. It's also the case of Niculai Giuraniuc, one of the most influential members of the Ukrainian community in Candesti, public administrator of Candesti commune, but also the key element in the accomplishment of cross-border projects between the administrations of Botosani county and Ukraine, Agerpres.ro informs.
"We are very worried, because the same blood flows through us, Ukrainian blood. This is the truth. I have godfathers and godsons there. My family comes from Ukraine. My great-grandparents are Ukrainian. (...) I fear for them, I'm worried. You can tell that it tears us apart, it divides us, if the Russian are coming. I hope they'll reach an agreement, so they're not occupied," said for AGERPRES Giuraniuc.
In Candesti there are approximately 600 Ukrainians, and 260 are members of the Union of Ukrainians of Romania.
In Rogojesti, people speak Ukrainian and, at the same time, they stand in solidarity with their brothers across the border that's a few kilometers away.
"Any war concerns me because we're human. We've participated in so many wars and lost so many men. For us, who are Ukrainian, it means all the more that it's a war against Ukraine. In Rogojesti we've remained Ukrainian and in school Ukrainian is being taught. I come from a family of Ukrainians, my husband from a Ukrainian family. The first language we spoke to our daughter was Ukrainian," said an old woman of Rogojesti.
"Of course we're with the Ukrainians. We're very concerned by war. We want quiet, we want peace, we don't want war," said, in his turn, a man from Rogojesti, the village with the most Ukrainians.
