They lost money in the first year, but gradually advertising has been coming in and allows to finance a growing private project: Ukraine FM. From a small radio studio located on a floor of Xavier Soler avenue in Alicante, a very musical programming where Ukrainian melodies predominate, but a quarter of the songs are in Spanish (Shakira, Maluma, Julio and Enrique Iglesias are among their favorites), is aimed since February 2022 at the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians living not only in the province, but also in cities like Madrid and Valencia, where they have managed to carve out a space on the dial and on the website.
Valeri Poloziuk and Roman Kovalenko are two of the four partners who invested in the idea and work on it every day, supported by a small group of collaborators. When Putin launched an invasion aimed at breaking Ukrainian resistance in weeks and toppling Zelenski's government, they were already residing in Alicante, having been here for eight years, managing businesses related to real estate, car rental, and consulting. The Ukrainian community, like the Russian one, was already very large in the province, especially in areas like Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa, but every day hundreds of compatriots arrived, mostly women and children, fleeing the bombings ordered by Vladimir Putin.
They had no relation to the radio, but they found professionals with experience in Alicante who helped them
They had no connection with radio, but they found professionals with experience in Alicante who helped them both in creating the station and in the process of obtaining broadcasting frequencies. They claim to have around 200,000 listeners. In addition to music, their broadcast includes programs about culture, people, cities, festivals, and Spanish customs. “It's about improving communication between Ukrainians and Spaniards,” they state.
Because even though the treatment received by Spanish society, highly sensitized, especially in the early stages, due to the Russian aggression, does not save the inevitable barriers that those who are forced to emigrate to a foreign country encounter. Valeri and Roman, who after ten years manage in Spanish but need a translator for a deeper conversation, agree that language is the main barrier, also related to the main problem that Ukrainians face: finding a job.
Valeri Poloziuk is one of the four partners who created Ukraine FM in Alicante
“Not only because of the language, which is already a significant issue, but also for many professionals such as lawyers, economists... or doctors, who find it very difficult to have their degrees recognized in Spain and cannot work here,” they point out. This prevents many qualified professionals from practicing their professions and forces them to find other ways to make a living."
We ask about the adaptation of the children, aware of the large number of students who must make the effort to learn in a language that is not their own. “Children adapt better, it is easier to integrate into life here,” they tell us, “but many have siblings, parents, and grandparents in Ukraine, and every day, every hour, every minute, they are afraid of what might happen to them.”
About the situation in the war, they limit themselves to providing urgent information that is fully verified, “because in war there are many confusing situations that we cannot confirm.” They believe that the main task of Ukraine FM is “to help people who have had to move to Spain because of the war and improve their lives and their connection with the Spaniards.” In this task, they choose to offer positive and useful news for their listeners.
Children adapt better, but many have siblings, parents, and grandparents in Ukraine, and every day, every hour, every minute, they are afraid of what might happen to them”
They maintain a close relationship with the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain, with whom they collaborated to provide information on local elections in the host country, where many Ukrainian residents have the right to vote. They also work with the diplomatic mission in organizing events such as film festivals and musical performances, both in Alicante and Madrid, as well as in seeking donations to send aid, ambulances, and various types of materials to support their homeland's resistance.
They, who were already residing in Spain by their own will, are aware that their compatriots who arrived forced by the war are facing very different difficulties, a stress. “They did not arrive by their own will, and adapting is very difficult, but the people from Ukraine are strong, and for providing a better life for their family, for their children, they move forward; and for them is why we founded this radio, to help them,” they affirm.
Ukrainian demonstration in Alicante in February 2024, marking two years since the Russian aggression
They are aware that, although the war and suffering in their country continue, the passage of time has relegated Ukraine to the background of current events. They understand that “Spain has its own problems, France has its problems, Norway, Portugal... all countries have their problems” that capture the public's attention. However, they remind us that “what is happening in Ukraine could happen in other countries” if Russian aggression prevails.
Despite all the difficulties, Valeri explains that, in the multiple conversations he has with fellow countrymen in Madrid, Valencia, Murcia, or Alicante, he perceives a high morale, a lively hope, and the conviction that “we will win the war.”
306,260 Ukrainians have residency in Spain, triple the amount from two and a half years ago
As of September 30, 2024, there are a total of 306,260 Ukrainians with valid residency documentation in Spain. This represents an increase of 209,508 individuals (217%) in the more than two and a half years that have passed since December 31, 2021, the date prior to the aggression and exodus driven by the war, which serves as the reference point for this monthly statistical report. As shown in the graph, almost the entirety of this increase is due to the issuance of temporary protection authorizations (for residency and work) (212,812 as of September 30, 2024), both to individuals who arrived in Spain after the start of the war, and to those who were already residing in Spain but did not have residency documentation when the conflict began and could not safely return to their home country. The largest monthly increase occurred in April 2022, the second month after the implementation of the Temporary Protection mechanism in Spain, with an increase of 52,180 individuals with valid temporary protection authorization, compared to the 27,046 individuals with temporary protection in March. Of the total Ukrainian residents, 181,230 are women (59%) and 125,030 are men (41%). The distribution by gender among minors under 16 is fairly balanced; however, among the working-age population, women predominate, especially in the 20 to 24 age group and the 35 to 39 age group, where they almost double the number of men, as well as among those over 65 years old.