ZAGREB, 26 May 2022 - Ukrainian filmmaker Maksym Nakonechny and actors in his film "Butterfly Vision", including Ukrainian and Croatian actors, held a protest against social-media censorship of Russia's invasion, on Wednesday in Cannes before the premiere of this film.

The group covered their faces with content-warning signs and held a banner that read "Russians kill Ukrainians. Do you find it offensive and disturbing to talk about this genocide?”, while air raid sirens were played over the speaker system.

Among the protesting actors were Croatians Daria Lorenci Flatz and Edvin Liverić, who played roles in the film. The film is a Croatian minority co-production and is co-produced by Anita Juka (for 4Film), the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) reported on Thursday.

Butterfly Vision, which premiered globally in Cannes, is "a harsh and surreal story about a Ukrainian woman named Lilia who, after spending months as a prisoner of war after the Donbas Conflict a few years ago, struggles to return to her life as a soldier and wife in her homeland, refusing to be labeled a victim." The script was co-written by Maksym Nakonechnyi and Iryna Tsilyk, says HAVC.

Lorenci Flatz was quoted as saying that she was happy to see that the film had won rounds of applause from a sympathetic audience in the Debussy theatre in Cannes.

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ZAGREB, 10 May 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday Croatia would continue to assist Ukraine in various ways and that it was "very difficult to imagine" that the crimes committed in Bucha and Irpin were occurring in Europe in 2022.

"Croatia will... continue to provide political, diplomatic, humanitarian, financial and technical assistance to Ukraine in this situation and, naturally, advocate the values we share," he told the press.

He said the visit to Kyiv on Sunday was "carefully planned." "Our support as a government, a people, is evident, visible, I think." He and Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman visited Irpin and Bucha after meeting with Ukraine's leadership in Kyiv.

"The destruction which took place in Irpin, which is a modern city, a city of young families where 100,000 people live, is unbelievable," Plenković said.

In Bucha, a priest showed them a mass grave in a church yard. "Such a crime against the civilian population is horrifying and reminds us of the situation in the Homeland War. It's for utter condemnation, unacceptable."

Plenković and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talked about a Croatian national taken prisoner by Russian forces. Plenković said the Ukrainian authorities were familiar with the case and would inform the public when there were any news.

Russian media have said that a "Croatian mercenary" has been taken prisoner in Mariupol.

Asked if negotiations would be held with the Russians, Plenković said, "For now, we will talk with the Ukrainians and see what can be done."

The dialogue with Russia and Croatia-Russia diplomatic relations have not been interrupted, he added. "Had we interrupted diplomatic relations, it would probably be more difficult."

Von der Leyen not coming to Mostar

The prime minister also commented on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will hold general elections in October although the election law has not been changed.

He said that contrary to media reports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not coming to Mostar, but that "another high EU official will visit" in the next ten days.

Plenković welcomed the decision of the Croatian National Assembly to participate in the elections, saying that "the Croats should elect their representatives as only then will BiH function well" and calling for dialogue.

He said Croats in BiH were "often victims of electoral engineering and should in no way be considered the culprits for the situation in BiH."

Foreign Minister Grlić Radman, he added, "is regularly in BiH and it's good that he's often there to convey the policy and activities the government is undertaking in the interest of Croats in BiH, and we have been doing it constantly, for years, intensively, systematically, with arguments. We are trying to win over allies for solving the unjust position of the Croats."

May 8, 2022 - The Hajduk jersey auction as part of the 'Football for Peace' campaign has raised 51,450 kuna,  in addition to the over 600,000 kn raised through the Hajduk-Shakhtar friendly match and donor phone line! 

Hajduk recently presented its new home jersey for next season which is now finally on sale to the public as of this weekend.

The first 12 copies of the new Hajduk jersey, made of 100 percent recycled plastic and special eco-fabric (13 0.5-liter plastic bottles were needed to make one jersey) have been donated in the 'Football for Peace' auction to raise money for Ukrainian orphans. 

The 'Football for Peace' campaign also included a friendly match in Split between Hajduk and Shakhtar, where tickets were a symbolic 30 kuna and a donation line was opened for people to call in. Over 600,000 kuna was collected from the match tickets and the donor line, and another 51,450 kuna for the 12 jerseys offered in the auction! 

All of this money will be donated to help orphaned children who lost their parents in the war in Ukraine, and who are currently living in the Republic of Croatia.

After the charity auction ended, Hajduk released a new white jersey for next season, which has been on sale to the public since Saturday. Jerseys can be purchased at Hajduk fan shops at Poljud and TC Joker and through the club's webshop.

The new home jersey is made of 100% recycled plastic, a material certified by the "Global Recycled Standard". The front of the jersey is made of a special eco-fabric, which follows "Body mapping", and the jersey itself has perforations (holes) in places where athletes sweat the most while creating a special visual effect reminiscent of armor.

With all these details, the new home jersey comes with a knitted collar and sleeve edges with red and blue lines that represent the tradition of the Club, and on the back, on the collar, there is a sewn inscription "Hajduk lives forever". On the front of the jersey, on the right, is the silicone logo Macron Hero, while on the left, over the heart, is the silicone coat of arms of HNK Hajduk.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 1, 2022 -  Hajduk and Shakhtar Donetsk played a humanitarian friendly match at Poljud on Sunday under the theme 'Football for Peace'.

The goal of the match is to raise funds to help orphaned children in war-torn Ukraine who now need accommodation in Croatia.

Tickets were 30 kuna while a donation line is also open to call until May 15. The number is 0609006. A call center was set up at Poljud's White Salon on Sunday, where many celebrities answered the phones, from athletes to actors, singers, current first-team players, veterans, and members of the club's Management Board. A special guest is UEFA President Alexander Ceferin.

Hajduk's new home jersey was also officially presented for the first time at the friendly match. 

 Since this is a humanitarian meeting aimed at raising funds to help orphans in war-torn Ukraine, Hajduk put the first 12 jerseys up for auction, and all funds will be donated to the humanitarian action.

The club will publish two jerseys from Hajduk's first-team players every day on the club's official Facebook page. Bids can be left in the comments below the post with the winner being the highest bidder. Each of these jerseys will be signed by the player whose jersey is up for auction. The auction ends on May 7.

Before the match, HRT spoke to Hajduk president Lukša Jakobušić and former Croatia national team captain and Shakhtar legend Darijo Srna.

"I would like to immediately thank the President of Hajduk for this great gesture. I never dreamed we would play this kind of game today. However, it is life, we have to deal with it, and we have to fight it. Many thanks to them, many thanks to the fans, Croatia, Split, Dalmatia. This is a great honor for us and once again a huge thank you to Hajduk. Two months ago, when I talked to the president he said ‘Darijo, send all the children, we will take them all. We’ve been through it all, we know what it means to help at this point. Believe me, me personally, my club, and the whole of Ukraine will never forget this from Hajduk," said the former Vatreni captain and the legend of the Split club. Srna is the current sports director of Shakhtar.

"In our DNA is defiance of the powerful and protection of the weak. We in this area know what trouble is, we know what war is and the least we can do is help. We help as much as we can, we know what Darijo did for Croatia and Hajduk. Out of respect for him and the children, we will try to help them at least a little," said Jakobušić.

Lineups for Sunday's friendly match

HAJDUK: Posavec, Fossati, Elez, Lovrencsics, Biuk, Zulić, Lazar, Letaj, Bradarić, Jakir, Ljubičić
Bench: Subašić, Fesyuk, Simić, Pukštas, Čuić, Brajković, Krolo, Nazor, Zubanović, Jurak, Grgić, Hrvojević, Petrović, Vrcić

SHAKHTAR Pyatov, Matviienko, Korniienko, Bondarenko, Marlon, Stepanenko, Konoplia, Sudakov, Topalov, Mudryk, Solomon
Bench: Shevchenko, Puzankov, Trubin, Rakytskyi, Farina, Bondar, Buleza, Udod, Stasyuk, Drambaev, Kapinus, Chekh, Myshnyov, Shostak, Siheev, Kryskiv, Khromel, Boirachuk

Marin Ljubičić scored the first goal of the match for Hajduk in the 10th minute for 1:0, which was the score going into halftime. 

Franjo Lazar scored an early goal in the second half for 2:0 going into the 49th minute. Anel Zulić was subbed off for Zubanović in the 50th minute. 

In the 57th minute, Hajduk subbed off Marco Fossati for Rokas Pukstas, Josip Elez for Stefan Simic, and Franjo Lazar for Luka Jurak. 

Dmytro Topalov scored for 2:1 in the 59th minute and Petro Stasiuk equalized for 2:2 in the 74th minute! But Hajduk's Marin Ljubičić made it 3:2 with 10 minutes to go.

Boriachuk scored during stoppage time for the final 3:3! 

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

March 15, 2022 - Ukrainians in Osijek will feel safe and comfortable in the city thanks to various programs provided to help refugees integrate. 

From the first day of the aggression on Ukraine, the City of Osijek opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees. Osijek was among the first in Croatia to prepare a Reception Center with 100 beds and was recently visited by Minister Davor Božinović. It also joined the new action plan "Slavonian Heart for Families of Ukraine," prepared by Osijek-Baranja County and the Center for Missing and Abused Children, to integrate children and adults coming to eastern Croatia quicker, reports Lokalni.hr.

"In addition to schools and kindergartens, city companies, institutions, associations, and sports clubs participate in the integration of Ukrainian citizens. We will do everything to make them feel safe and comfortable in our city. Our professional services are at their disposal. On this occasion, I would also like to thank my fellow citizens who selflessly help. If anyone can understand the Ukrainian people, it is the inhabitants of Osijek and Osijek-Baranja County," says Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić.

The city's Passenger Transport Company provided free city public transport for refugees and transports refugees from the Croatian border to the reception center or accommodation. Sports facilities offered free use of the pool. In addition, the space for the Children's Corner run by the Center for Missing Children has been renovated in the Osijek Cultural Center.

They also plan to offer children piano and other school activities because many had a music education in Ukraine. In addition, the city company Unikom, which includes the Zoo, will provide free tickets for the zoo. Assistance was also offered to the Kyiv Zoo in an animal shelter.

Free art and educational workshops (Waldingerionice) for children aged 6 to 13 are held in the City Galleries of Osijek every Saturday from 10:30 to 12:30. All Ukrainian children are welcome. The City Galleries of Osijek provide all materials and professional guidance. The Waldinger Gallery is open free to visitors every day from Tuesday to Sunday from 17:00 to 20:00. Depending on the program, there is always an exhibition in the gallery that can be viewed.

The Branko Mihaljević Children's Theater in Osijek joined with complimentary tickets for the non-verbal performances "Wild Horse" and "Duck Swims Across the Drava." In addition, the theater has equipment for the needs of blind and partially sighted children that can be used for simultaneous translation so that plays in Croatian could be watched in Ukrainian with the help of a translator or narrator.

Last Friday and Saturday, the Croatian National Theater organized a humanitarian classical music concert for peace in Ukraine. Part of the funds will be transferred to an account opened to help refugees. In addition, Ukrainians in exile will be offered free tickets to the Croatian National Theater.

An invitation was sent to all sports clubs and members of Osijek Sports Associations to include refugee children and youth in training and other club activities as part of regular planning and program activities. The Center for Technical Culture Osijek is also ready to include several children in workshops on model making, aircraft modeling, assembling Lego models, photography, and construction. If necessary, additional workshops can be provided.

The city of Osijek is a member of the association Croatia Helps, and it has offered a holiday in Novi Vinodolski from June 20 to 27 for 40 Ukrainian children who will be accommodated in Osijek. The city has also made available business space in Pothodnik, which will house the Refugee Info Center. Its opening was announced in the coming days. They are also planning a program for entrepreneurs, given that they have already received inquiries from several Ukrainian companies that would move to Osijek, and a model is being sought to co-finance their business.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

March 11, 2022 - Flight reservations to Croatia and Eastern Europe have dropped from February 24 to March 2 due to the war in Ukraine. 

Due to the war in Ukraine, the number of flight bookings within Europe is falling, and the biggest drop in demand is recorded in Eastern Europe, reports Croatian Aviation.

A company that collects and analyzes data on travel, Forward Keys, published data on the movement of demand for flights after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The data compares reservations from February 24 to March 2 with those in the week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

With Ukraine and Moldova, which closed their airspace, and Russia and Belarus excluded from the list of destinations and marked with a warning of questionable safety, the largest decline in reservations was recorded by countries closest to the conflict. Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia fell by 30 to 50 percent.

Other European countries, with the exception of Belgium, Iceland, and Serbia, saw a drop ranging from 10 to 30 percent. In Belgium, Iceland, and Serbia, the decline was in the single digits.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has halted a recovery in reservations that began in January after the Omicron coronavirus variant peaked in many countries, Forward Keys Vice President Olivier Ponti concluded. Its impact on transatlantic travel and destinations in Western Europe is not as great as Ponti feared. Americans' reservations for travel to Europe fell by 13 percent.

Russia was one of the world's best-performing markets during the pandemic, and the invasion of Ukraine blocked its ties with the world and halved domestic air travel reservations. Russia now has only one European air corridor left over Serbia, and in the week after the invasion, about 60 percent more plane tickets were issued than in January as a whole. In the same period, the final destination of 40 percent of transfers via Serbia was Montenegro, and the rest included Cyprus, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

"The speed with which Serbia turned into a door for travel between Russia and Europe is striking," Ponti concludes.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

March 10, 2022 - TCN meets Kateryna, one of many Ukrainians escaping war to Croatia who is currently with her family in Ludbreg. 

My name is Kateryna and I’m Ukrainian.  I've never been so proud to be Ukrainian before, and I'm really happy to share my story with you. I always thought that when I'll tell people my story it will be something unbelievably interesting and positive but everything has changed in a moment. 

On the 24th of February, near 5 a.m. I woke up from the sound of explosions, Russia has started a full-scale war against Ukraine. My first thought was something really stupid like, should still go to the office for work or will we have a day off. I didn't realize what war is because I have never faced it. 

Starting from that day I was constantly on the move; first I was hiding in a village waiting for a few days and hoping it ends soon but then when the situation got worse, I made a difficult decision to leave Ukraine. Together with my family, we started a long way to safety. It was really difficult to drive since there was a lack of gas in petrol stations, we heard explosions and gunshots along the way, and we were trying to accept the fact that we are leaving our house, and, most importantly people we love. 

At the same time, we couldn’t have made it without help from other people. On the Moldovan border, locals provided us with food and water since we had to wait near the border for 5 or 6 hours. When we entered Romania, we had great support from locals as well, they helped to find our accommodation, food, and navigation because we came late at the evening and had no idea where to sleep or have rest. When we finally got to Croatia, Ludbreg, where we are safe and are able to keep living now, we received great help from locals, who have arranged accommodation for us, provided us with all the necessities, and keep helping with other things related to daily stuff, documents, and workspace. Not me nor my family have ever known these people before but they welcomed us with all the possible hospitality, and friendliness, which we will never forget.

Ukrainians will always remember all the help from people of different countries, nationalities, who are ready to support everyone in need.  

We are safe because of all of you who condemn war, give humanitarian help, and protect our country day and night. 

March 8, 2022 - Around 200 Ukrainian refugees in Brod-Posavina County will be accepted, revealed County Prefect Danijel Marušić. 

Brod-Posavina County Prefect Danijel Marušić received a delegation from the recently established Humanitarian Committee of Ukrainians to consider additional forms of assistance and institutional support for the reception of refugees from war-torn areas. All associations of Ukrainians in Brod-Posavina County are united in the committee, reports Lokalni.hr.

The focus was on preparations and the possibility of putting certain facilities in a state of readiness for the eventual reception of a more significant number of refugees and coordination between institutions and representatives of the Ukrainian national minority.

Marušić expressed deep sympathy with the Ukrainian people.

"We are all appalled by the situation in Ukraine. We hope that the war will end as soon as possible and that there will be no humanitarian exodus, but we must be ready for everything. Therefore, I am glad that the Government has organized an inter-ministerial group that coordinates the reception of refugees and humanitarian actions," said Marušić.

Brod-Posavina County can accept 200 Ukrainians who have retained their national and cultural identity, which should facilitate the integration of potential refugees. According to data from last week, there are about 40 refugees in the county, mainly in the area of Gundinac, Stari Petrovo Selo, Nova Gradiska, and Slavonski Brod.

In Gundinci, a new, temporary home was found by three families with five children from the war-torn Odessa area, which the Božanović family received. The men of these families are employed by the Croatian entrepreneur Đuro Božanović, who has a company in Germany.

"As soon as I saw what was happening in Ukraine, I hired my workers to pick them up in a van and bring them to my apartments in Slavonia. We barely got them out," said Božanović.

Representatives of the Humanitarian Committee inquired about the possibilities of accommodating a larger number of people from Ukraine. They were told that there were specific capacities in Cernik and Slavonski Brod and that they would be put into operation if necessary.

Members of the Ukrainian community from this area are ready to receive a more significant number of their exiled compatriots. Still, they want the reception to be institutionalized because they do not know how many people will have to stay here.

The President of the Ukrainian Community in the Republic of Croatia, Vlado Karešin, reminded that the situation is changing from hour to hour and that the arrival of new refugees can be expected as the columns at the border crossings with Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia is growing.

"We get information about people who come to relatives when they are already settled. We have received great support from the City and the County, so we already can accommodate about two hundred people," said Karešin.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

March 7, 2022 - Eighty Ukrainian refugees on Šolta Island will receive temporary accommodation in Maslinica and Gornje Selo.

Šolta locals can be proud, as they quickly organized and in just 24 hours provided temporary accommodation on the island for 80 Ukrainian refugees, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

"It is mostly about children, women, and the elderly, and the youngest refugee who arrived is a baby of only three months. It all started with the Ukrainian Vadym Beskid, a lover of Šolta, especially Maslinica, where he spends his summers, and the Zagreb resident Vera Vidoni who collected aid in her apartment. When the state of war in Ukraine broke out, Vadym's family asked for help, but as more and more people fled, the number spread, and no one could be turned away, so instead of 40, 80 Ukrainians found safety from the war on Šolta. They passed several hundred kilometers and six countries from Ukraine to Šolta," said Ivana Mihanović, one of the organizers.

The people of Šolta reacted quickly, so all the necessities have been provided for now, but support will be needed in the coming months. The war tragedies they experienced on the way to Croatia are terrible.

"One mother came in a small car with six children; she was very shaken because the convoy with which she was leaving the country was shelled and in their immediate vicinity. All the mothers who came to us are very young, and the oldest child is 12 years old. The medical service is coming to us on Monday because of the coronavirus, but I must emphasize that everyone is very grateful and disciplined. Everyone helped us, from individuals, companies, to the Polish community in Zagreb," Ivana adds.

Jadrolinija also provided free transportation for all refugees to Šolta.

"They are located in four houses in Maslinica and Gornje Selo. Today the local fishers will prepare lunch for them; I hope the children will be satisfied. Three parishes are involved in the action: the Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes from Zagreb, St. Roch from Split, and the Parish of St. Stephen the First Martyr from Grohote. Numerous companies also contributed: Konzum, Ribola, Promet Makarska, Imex Banka, Ljekarne Split-Dalmatia, Lola Ribar, restaurant Mlin, Pablo pharmacies, and JGL with the coordination of the Red Cross and director Tomislav Goja.

All who donate to the Red Cross "for refugees on Šolta" can be sure they will receive the aid. 

If you want to help, donations are accepted at:

Župa sv. Stjepana Prvomučenika

Igrališće 22
21430 Grohote, otok Šolta
IBAN:
HR1524070001100619207

Payment description required:  Za pomoć izbjeglicama iz Ukrajine.

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