Estonia

The Illuka Refugee Centre is located in the Estonian forest near the Russian border. It is isolated and difficult to reach without personal transportation.

The Centre houses several asylum seekers, some of which were interviewed in this story. There were four young men chosen for this story, three of which were from Afghanistan and one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They described their experiences at the Centre, the difficulties they face residing there and their feelings of exclusion, but chose not to go into detail about their journey to Estonia or about their families.

All four of them assessed Estonian asylum policy and uninamously agreed that Estonia had to redevelop it, particularly now that they are a member of the European Union and will have to expect an increase in the number of immigrants to the country.

To read more of the Illuka Refugee Centre story.

Oxana is originally from Ukraine and has lived in Estonia for six years. Similar to other immigrants in Estonia she has Estonian roots; her grandfather was Estonian. She came to Estonia to pursue a higher quality of education based on her brother's suggestion. She explains that despite moving to Estonia she has retained her Ukranian identity and enjoys being involved in the Ukranian diaspora. Learn more about Oxana's identity through her story.

Ksenija represents a typical case of a successful young adult Russian living in Estonia. She has completed her higher education and is now working as a fashion designer. What is interesting about her story is that she has used her ethnic roots as a positive tool in life. Read Ksenija's story.