'I had plans to go to Barcelona. Now I have plans to fight Russians'

Up until very recently, Pavlo B. was an average 34-year-old. He lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, and worked in international sales, carrying out business with people in countries like Spain or Russia, and he had plans to travel to Catalonia again soon too. This trip, of course, has had to be put on hold for now.

"I am scared, this has never happened in my life," he told Catalan News in Catalan, a language he picked up after spending summers in the small town of Gurb, near Vic in central Catalonia, as a child following the Chernobyl disaster.

"I had plans and I'd booked a flight to Barcelona on March 10," Pavlo B. said from his apartment in Kyiv, a blue and yellow flag on the wall behind him as he spoke. "I had very good plans, but not anymore. Now I have plans to fight Russians."

He hasn't had to leave his home yet, he said, because he lives on the side of the Dnieper River "that's only suffered a few missile attacks." But he may have to leave soon – either as Russian troops advance or because he will be called in for military training, something he believes will happen any day now as he has volunteered to defend his country.

"When I see images of residential buildings being bombarded, I can't sit back and do nothing until a bomb hits my home," he explained. "Every day we have around ten air attacks that take off from Belarus, the other country we thought were our friends."

Pavlo B. blasted what he called "Russian propaganda," which he said made it difficult for Russians to understand what was actually happening on the ground, and he lamented the Duma's recent decision to pass a law that punishes "fake news" about the army with up to 15-year prison sentences.

"My father was sent to Afghanistan by the Soviet Union," he added. "He now says that what they're doing here they didn't even do in Afghanistan. They target civilians and residential buildings on purpose."

And like other Ukrainians Catalan News has spoken to, Pavlo B. believes his country needs further humanitarian aid and military assistance from the West.

"I call on Catalans to hold protests," he said. "We need NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. And we also need medical supplies."

Another demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine will take place on March 6 at noon at Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya square in the city center, while donation collection points have been set up across Catalonia. 

Listen to our podcast on the impact of the Ukraine war in Catalonia with voices from those protesting on a daily basis to defend their country.