Bushel hosts a Russian Tea Party on Saturday, Feb 4th

DELHI —Bushel and Delaware County Citizens for Refugee Support (DCCRS) are pleased to invite the community to a tea party to get to know Mariia, Boris, Ivan, and Vladimir, four Russian dissidents who are seeking asylum in Delaware County. This event is free and open to the public and takes place at Bushel, 106 Main Street, ground floor, Delhi.

The community is invited to come for tea-time refreshments and get acquainted with our new friends, hear their stories, and understand their current situations and ongoing challenges. Volunteers will also speak about how this community has come together in this resettlement effort and what more we all can do. Tea service begins at 2 pm. At 2:20 pm there will be a conversation with Mariia, Boris, Ivan, and Vladimir, followed by a few words by DCCRS volunteers Hall Willkie and Hannah Leighton, among others. The event will conclude with a community Q&A and discussion.

First to arrive in Delaware County, Mariia and Boris are Russian medical doctors and anti-war activists. They supported Alexei Navalny’s opposition to the Putin regime and campaigned against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After constant harassment by Russian police, they fled to the US in April 2022 and requested political asylum. They ended up at a privately run detention camp in Louisiana, where they endured horrific mistreatment including limited drinking water, substandard meals, and overcrowded and unsafe living conditions. With the support of our community, DCCRS was able to pay a bond to secure their release, and bring them here to Delaware County. Recently, Boris’s cellmates Ivan and Vladimir, both anti-war activists as well, were released from detention and joined Mariia and Boris to begin their new lives here in the US. Ivan was jailed four times in Russia for participating in anti-Putin protests. Vladimir fled Russia after his life was threatened by Chechen security forces, leaving behind his wife and two young sons. While in ICE detention, Ivan and Vladimir joined Boris in a hunger strike to protest the appalling conditions in the facility.

This event is organized by DCCRS (Delaware County Citizens for Refugee Support), a community group formed in 2021 with the aim to assist refugees and asylum seekers through direct support for resettlement in Delaware County and partnerships with individuals and community groups to advocate for the human rights and freedoms of all displaced people. www.delcocrs.org

BUSHEL is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, volunteer-led, mixed-use space dedicated to art, agriculture, ecology, and action. It is located at 106 Main Street in Delhi. For more information, go to www.bushelcollective.org.