Family from Chernihiv

[Hannia]

Ann,

Start here.

E-Mail Serhej Skulik2001@yahoo.com, who lives in Dniepropetrovsk. Ask that he check the Local Telephone White Pages for all the surnames you have. Be patient. His time right now is limited. He is a School Principal.

Meanwhile I'll check to see how to make contact in Chernihiv.
________________________________________________________

According to the 1989 census, there were 1.12 million Poles in USSR (they numbered 1.15 million in 1979 and 1.38 in 1959). In fact, there are between one and three million8. If we rely on the census figures, around 80% of them live in the three frontier republics bordering Poland and are mostly grouped in the former Polish regions: 418 000 in Belarus, 219 000 in Ukraine (where their number has greatly diminished in three decades) and 258 000 in Lithuania. In addition, there are 60 000 of them in Kazakhstan, 95 000 in Russia (scattered between Saint Petersburg, Moscow and the Irkutsk region) and 60 000 in Latvia.

Poland is one of the central European countries affected by repatriation, mostly from the CIS. This not a recent movement: already 1.5 million Poles from the former USSR were repatriated between 1945 and 1948 and 250 000 between 1955 and 1959. Movements ceased on that date, however, and have still not recommenced officially. Individual Polish initiatives and spontaneous departures seem, however, to have already resulted in returns which, to judge from statistics on permanent residence permits granted to former Soviet citizens (many of whom, according to the Polish authorities, are of Polish origin) and those for acquisition of citizenship, would seem to amount to several hundred families since 1989-1990. There are many indications confirming that a return movement, particularly from
Kazakhstan, has begun and that the migration potential is large. In Kazakhstan, some 60% of the Polish community feels that it is sidelined by the policy for constructing a Kazakh
national identity and wishes to leave. Like the Russians, the Poles have the impression, for reasons which are simultaneously ethnic, cultural, religious and political, that they have become second-class citizens and they see no future in the country for their children. The feeling of unease is heightened by the massive departures of people of Russian and German origin.

excerpts from
19997_CDMG(97)13E
http://www.coe.int/t/e/social_cohesi...DMG(97)13E.asp

[Hannia]

Jan Koslowski is Polish Consul in Almaty, Kazahkstan. Locating address for Consulate should not be difficult.

[Anna2]

Hannia,
Thank you so much for your help. I will e-mail Serhej and I understand that it may take a while. I will also contact the Polish Consul in Kazahkstan.
Best wishes.
Anna

[Hannia]

Today there is more info available.
It's worth submitting another inquiry.

Mrs Irina TSARUK
Ukrainian Red Cross Society
Director, Tracing Department:
30, Pushkinskaya St.
Kiev Ukraine 01004

Tel: (380) (44) 235 01 57
Fax: (380) (44) 2881658, 2351096
Telex: 131329 LICRO SU
E-Mail: international@redcross.org.ua
Web: http://www.redcross.org.ua
English is language of communication.

[Anna2]

Hannia.

I have exchanged e-mails with Sergiy and he is going to make some enquiries. Thank you for the Red Cross information. I will wait to see what happens with Sergiy and if there is no news I will then write to the Red Cross. I made a mistake with one of the names I gave. It should have been Lutkiewicz and not Lukaszewicz.
You are a real star Hannia, thank you very much.
Anna

[Hannia]

Material in Polish and Russian.
Repression of Poles
http://www.indeks.karta.org.pl/wyszukiwanie.asp
______________________________________

PS> According to link in previous post, Red Cross in Kiev has trained staff to perform research in Kazakstani documents.

[Anna2]

Hannia,

Thank you for the website information. I will look at it with my husband.

Anna