Guissona: the Catalan town with a Ukrainian spirit

Around 2,500km southwest of Kyiv lies the town of Guissona, a Little Ukraine in the west of Catalonia.

Of the small town's population of 7,435, over 1,000 are Ukrainian nationals. On Saturday, that Ukrainian community in Guissona grew by four when the town welcomed 32-year-old Uliana and her three children, aged 6, 8 and 11, fleeing war in their home country.

Guissona has a significant migrant population due to the big meat manufacturing company located in the municipality, which includes a large chain of meat and sausages store across Catalonia called BonÀrea.

The family came to Catalonia to stay with Mariana, Uliana's sister-in-law who has been living in Guissona for 20 years, but Uliana's husband – and Mariana's brother – has stayed behind in Lviv. In a quick videocall with his family on Monday he explains that they are setting up camps and are "on alert" and "ready to fight."

Uliana and her three children fled Ukraine when Russian forces invaded. They managed to get tickets to go by bus to the Polish border. It took them 16 hours to travel just 100 kilometers and then another six hours to cross the border where they were able to catch a plane to Girona.

"What I saw was horrible. Families who wanted to leave but didn't have a ticket," she says, still in a state of shock.

Mariana's mother, Sofia, is also in Guissona. She came to Catalonia at the beginning of February to undergo an operation and had a return flight back to Ukraine booked for Sunday. "Obviously I didn't catch the flight," Sofia says. Her 75-year-old husband is alone at home in Ukraine, she adds.

Uliana's husband, a firefighter by trade, tells his family he is "ready to defend his country". Over the phone he tells his children to smile. Uliana admits that the children miss their father, although they all feel lucky to have arrived in Catalonia, where they feel safe.

Minister meets Ukrainian community

Catalonia's minister for foreign affairs, Victoria Alsina, met representatives of the Ukrainian community in Guissona on Sunday to show her support for the Ukrainian people, listen to their concerns, and explain the steps the government is taking to deal with Ukrainians trapped in Catalonia and to send humanitarian aid.

The Catalan government does not have the power to repatriate Catalans and Catalan residents currently in Ukraine, but it has organized a vehicle at the Polish border, which can be used to facilitate repatriations. Alsina said that they have located about 20 people in Ukraine, but so far no one has asked for use of the vehicle to return to Catalonia.

The foreign minister also reminded the Ukrainian community that hostels are available for any Ukrainians stuck in Catalonia due to the outbreak of war. There government says there is accommodation for between 500 and 600 people. On Saturday night, 49 Ukrainians slept in hostels on the Xanascat network, according to social rights minister Violant Cervera.

In total, 23,619 Ukrainian nationals live in Catalonia, according to the Catalan statistics institute, Idescat.