Vice-President of the EAJC Matvey Chutman Provides Assistance to Ukrainian Refugees in Austria

Photo: Mirek Pruchnicki 

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 5 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. A UNICEF report indicates that over 90% of them are women and children. EU member states activated the Temporary Protection Directive to accommodate the refugees, granting them residency rights, access to the labor market, medical services, and social assistance. Similar provisions are available to displaced persons in Austria, where Ukrainian citizens can obtain humanitarian visas. Official data shows Austria has already received over 200,000 individuals. Alongside state initiatives, private citizens are actively assisting refugees. One such private initiative is the volunteer coordination center established by the recently elected Vice-President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Matvey Hutman, which opened two weeks after the outbreak of hostilities. Volunteers report they have already assisted several hundred individuals.

“It is impossible to remain idle when you witness what I saw upon arriving in Ukraine in the first days of the war,” says EAJC Vice-President Matvey Hutman, explaining the motivation behind his volunteer initiative. He was particularly moved by a scene on the way to the Ukrainian-Polish border, where, due to a lack of fuel, women in freezing cars had to warm their children's hands with their own breath.

Matvey Hutman is a prominent Austrian businessman. He heads Palmers, the country's largest textile company, and is a co-owner of the development firm Valetono Development. Hutman is an active public figure and campaigner against antisemitism. In his capacity as Vice-President of the EAJC, he promotes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was drafted with the participation of representatives from the World Jewish Congress (WJC).

However, since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, nationality has become secondary to him: “Yes, we are a Jewish organization, and we must certainly care for our communities. But we cannot prioritize nationality when it comes to saving human lives.”

The refugee assistance initiative was launched under urgent circumstances. Initially, Matvey Hutman and his staff visited Austrian railway stations and airports to aid Ukrainians whose return flights had been canceled. They rented temporary housing using their own personal funds. Only later did the activists contact local charitable foundations and coordinate their efforts with other volunteers. Soon after, Austrian authorities also joined the initiative.

Private Austrian citizens responded to the appeal for help even more rapidly, notes Olga Skomarova, project coordinator at the refugee assistance center in Vienna. According to her, refugees placed under the care of local host families often no longer need to contact the Center, as the hosts take care of all daily arrangements. “I was personally surprised by how active they are,” the activist shares. “My acquaintances moved in with a local family that completely covered their living expenses. They helped with the child, found language courses for them, and even tried to assist with job search. The local population is deeply involved.”

Currently, Skomarova explains, the Center coordinates efforts with volunteers from both Austria and Ukraine. Communications are most frequently conducted via messaging apps. Volunteers advise refugees on how to reach Austria and meet them upon arrival to assist with registration, housing, food, and necessary services. In total, volunteers have successfully accommodated approximately 200 Ukrainians.

Among those who fled is 28-year-old Olga Polzikova from Enerhodar. She arrived in Austria with her four-year-old sister. Following the outbreak of the war, she relocated to relatives in Zaporizhzhia, as her hometown, which hosts a nuclear power plant, had become unsafe. A few days later, she learned about the Austrian initiative led by the EAJC Vice-President from friends and decided to temporarily relocate. She evacuated to the Polish border by train.

“The atmosphere was nothing like a regular train ride where you just sit and travel,” she recalls. “It was extremely crowded. A compartment usually fits 4 people, but here there were 15: mothers, grandmothers, small children. People swapped places, stood in the corridors, and some slept on the floor—the journey took 24 hours.”

In Austria, volunteers helped Olga secure a small apartment and enrolled her sister in a toddler activity group. By summer, she hopes to return to Ukraine, where her parents and relatives remain. “Even when you arrive in Europe, you realize there is no place like home. Everyone wants to be with their families, and everyone is homesick,” Olga says.

Matvey Hutman emphasizes the importance of supporting not only refugees but also those Ukrainians who remain in the country. In particular, he notes a shortage of household detergents; a factory owned by the entrepreneur has been repurposed for their production to avoid the costs and risks of transportation from Europe. “People physically do not have detergent to wash their clothes,” the entrepreneur explains.

Hutman also considers it highly important to assist Austrian charitable organizations in transporting humanitarian aid collected by supportive citizens to Ukraine. Currently, up to 20 people work on a voluntary basis at his coordination center, depending on the tasks required.

At the same time, he notes that as the conflict in Ukraine persists, the initial enthusiasm of Austrians is beginning to wane. He compares the volunteering situation to security threats in Israel, where “people, unfortunately, become accustomed to a harsh reality and threats to their lives.”

“People have grown accustomed to the situation, and gathering free humanitarian aid has become a difficult task. Now, when we approach suppliers for goods, the best we can hope for is a substantial discount,” the EAJC Vice-President explains.

According to volunteers, the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees do not intend to stay in Europe long-term, despite the severe destruction of Ukrainian cities. “We have several elderly people from Kharkiv who are very eager to return,” says Olga Skomarova. “But they know that they literally have nowhere to return to. Their homes are destroyed. Yet they say, ‘We will go anyway, we have to clean up and rebuild our city, so we are going back.’ And these people are over 70 years old.”

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