While Anonymous declares (cyber) war on Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk makes its Starlink satellites available to Ukrainians to guarantee an internet connection, the growing role of digital technologies even in crisis situations is increasingly evident. This is also demonstrated by the birth of Prihistok (in Ukrainian, “Refuge”): a platform created in 24 hours by a group of volunteers that helps connect people fleeing war and those who have the opportunity to host them.
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“Thousands of people are being evacuated to safer areas. Most of them have nowhere to go through these difficult times. Today we must all be as united and supportive as possible ”, reads the website in Ukrainian, from where you can then select if you are willing to offer accommodation or if you are looking for it instead.
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Although it is freely accessible from Italy – and allows you to enter addresses of all nationalities – at least in this phase the site is aimed primarily at the citizens of western Ukraine, towards which refugees fleeing from Kiev and beyond go. It is explicitly stated in another area of the platform, which reads: “Many Ukrainians are looking for an opportunity to take their women and children out of active war zones. But not everyone has friends and relatives in western Ukraine ”. However, it cannot be excluded that this platform will soon be translated into English to facilitate its use also to find accommodation for refugees from Ukraine who are already arriving in the European Union and also in Italy.
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However, in a nation that is undergoing an invasion, even solidarity platforms of this type can represent a danger. Precisely for this reason, it is the same website that reminds all Ukrainians to take the necessary precautions: check the documents before giving the exact address and welcome especially the larger groups, especially if they have different surnames.
The Prihistok site is obviously not the only initiative of this type. Another portal called Sos UA – which at least from Italy is not yet active at this time – has just been presented and, according to Information Age reports, it would be available in English, Ukrainian and Polish (the nation where the great majority of refugees). “Guests and asylum seekers are combined based on criteria such as the number of people to host, length of stay, arrival date and transportation options.”
AirBnb has also just announced that it has made over 100,000 apartments available to refugees for “short-term stays”. Overall, it is estimated that 350,000 people have already fled their nation and that the overall number, if the situation is not resolved quickly, could exceed 3-4 million. It is therefore probable that initiatives of this type are destined to multiply.
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