“I’d rather spend two years dealing with paperwork here than 15 years in a basement for standing up for my beliefs there”: the story of 22-year-old Oleksii from Luhansk
When russian forces occupied Luhansk, Oleksii (name changed for security reasons – ed.) was 11 years old. Much of that time has faded from his memory. But when he turned 16 and received a passport issued by the so-called “LNR,” he realized that with this “document” he would have no real opportunities in life.
Oleksii asked his parents if he could travel to Ukrainian government-controlled territory to obtain a Ukrainian passport. They refused to support his decision.
“They support russia, so they are fine with it,” the young man explains.
By the time the full-scale invasion began, Oleksii was already an adult. He understood that he could not remain in Luhansk much longer. Because of his pro-Ukrainian views, he began facing problems with local authorities, including the police and the FSB.
“They interrogated me for more than four hours. In the end, they found nothing, learned nothing, and eventually let me go,” Oleksii recalls.
Just two months later, in April 2024, he left Luhansk. His route took him through russia and belarus, before he finally reached Volyn via a humanitarian corridor.
Oleksii made the journey alone, without relatives or acquaintances in Ukrainian government-controlled territory. Volunteers he communicated with on Telegram helped him plan his departure. According to him, Telegram was almost the only channel through which he could receive information about Ukraine. Access to most Ukrainian websites was blocked, and they could only be opened using a VPN.
“Stepping out of my comfort zone and taking that first step was the hardest part,” Oleksii shares.
He now lives in Dnipro. Upon arrival, his next major challenge was restoring and obtaining all his documents. Alina Steblianko, a lawyer at East SOS, supported Oleksii throughout this nearly two-year process. The only Ukrainian document he had was his birth certificate. However, when the lawyers checked the electronic registry, there was no record of his birth. Resolving this issue alone took about a year. After a court decision confirmed the necessary information, Liubov Vasylenko, another lawyer at East SOS, joined the case. She represented Oleksii at the Civil Registry Office and helped replace his old birth certificate with a new one.
Finally, in July 2025, Oleksii received a new birth certificate. Only then could the passport application process begin. As part of the procedure, his identity had to be verified by the Migration Service through a video call with his mother.
On February 7 of this year, Oleksii finally received his Ukrainian passport. Along the way, Alina also helped him obtain an IDP certificate, apply for monthly assistance, and receive a foreign passport. She further assisted him in obtaining a tax identification number, opening a bank account, and registering with the employment center.
Obtaining his passport was the greatest challenge. Despite the long and complicated process, Oleksii has no regrets about his decision.
“I’d rather spend two years dealing with paperwork here than 15 years in a basement for standing up for my beliefs there,” he says.
Legal assistance was provided as part of the project “Comprehensive Assistance to Conflict-Affected Ukrainians and Third-Country Nationals in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Moldova,” implemented with the support of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
Throughout 2025, East SOS lawyers provided 383 services related to document restoration, including 239 passport-related cases.
