As Russia’s war on Ukraine grinds into a second year, some Ukrainians who fled the fighting and ended up in far-flung parts of Russia are still unsure if they will ever be able to return home — and whether they would be welcome when they get there.
In the absence of a reliable evacuation corridor to Ukrainian-held territory, going to Russia was the only option for many people.
Natalia was one of them. She fled the fighting in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Mariupol and crossed into Russia with her family.
From there, she and many other Ukrainians were encouraged by Russian authorities to take a 4,000-mile train journey east to the very edge of Siberia, to a coastal town called Nakhodka on the Sea of Japan, a stone’s throw from North Korea. It’s closer to Alaska than to the front lines.
Ukraine describes these refugees as forcibly deported, though Natalia says no one forced her to leave. “It was our decision,” she told CNN by phone from Russia’s far east, where she has resettled since arriving last spring.
Over the course of many months, CNN has managed to reach a handful of Ukrainians like Natalia. Read their story here.