Cambridgeshire man who moved from Ukraine has to 'freeze feelings' about conflict
Dmytro is one person celebrating Ukrainian Independence Day today
A man who moved to Cambridgeshire from Ukraine believes recognising his country's independence here must still be important.
The UK Government and NATO are backing a Make Noise For Ukraine campaign, which aims to honour Ukraine's bravery and resilience amid the ongoing conflict with Russian forces.
Communities across the UK are also being encouraged to show their support for the campaign on social media to mark Ukrainian Independence Day today.
"You need to not have independence to value how important it is"
Dmytro moved to Cambridgeshire from Ukraine 22 years ago and now works as an engineer here.
"I think it's immensely important (to mark Ukrainian Independence Day) because we're fighting the remains of the dictatorship in Europe, and if Ukraine is not going to withstand, the consequences could be very far-reaching," he said.
"You need to not have independence to value how important that is; it's one of the fundamental rights for every nation."
Dmytro's parents live in Ukraine, and said his aunt's home was targeted in a missile attack in Lviv last year - she survived.
He said it's difficult to think about the conflict, but he's grateful for the support that Britons have given Ukrainian people living in the UK since the conflict began.
"I cannot visit my parents; I have to freeze my feelings because if I start to think about this, it makes me cry," he said.
"They had no relation to Ukraine whatsoever and started to organise groups like refugee accommodation looking for hosts; I feel proud to live in the UK and how much the UK does for Ukraine."