Ukrainian refugees living in Merseyside reflect one year since the war started
Vigils are being held across the country
Last updated 24th Feb 2023
Today marks one year since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and refugees who found safety in Merseyside, tell us they know "life will never be as it was."
The war began with a bomb being dropped in the early hours of the morning on the 24 February 2022.
The UN estimates that over 7,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict so far.
Vira, 26, was in Kyiv when she heard a bomb at around 5am in the morning.
She said: “It was horrible. I first think, I need to decide what to do, because I am with my mother and two cats I need to know because my father was abroad so it was so difficult, and I just think my life will never be as it was.”
Daryna Ushkanovs has lived in Kyiv her entire life until having to flee to Liverpool because of the invasion. Daryna and her then three-year-old Daughter were caught up in the conflict.
She told us: “We were under occupation and the bombs hit my city. For more than one week we slept on the bathroom floor without electricity, gas, anything.”
Mykhailyma Kukharchuk left Kyiv to come to Merseyside with her two young children in April.
She told us how she felt when she first arrived in the city.
“I understood that I’m in a safe place and the main thing that my kids in a safe place. Before when we had to hide in basement floor for nine days. “
“It’s terrible things to hear from your kids ‘mom I want to leave’ and you understand that you can’t promise it because you don’t know if you will be alive.”
Many people around Merseyside pulled together to not only host refugees, helping them with accommodation and visas, but also offering aid.
Polskie Merseyside on County Road had been a charity that usually helped Polish people settle in the region. However, after the war began in Ukraine they added extra services including collecting donations of clothes and toiletries to take to the Ukrainian.
Michael Frackowiak began this operation by posting on Instagram requests for donations and volunteers to help at the warehouses across Merseyside.
Marcin Calka from Polskie Merseyside helped organise local donations resulting in 25 lorry loads of aid going to Ukraine. He told us they had to move quickly to give aid and the generosity of people around the region was “amazing.”
He said: “I just completely forget about my job, my family, my entire personal life and moved into the action. We met so many amazing people from all over, from the schools, from the firms from council, from all over the places.
"I was just feeling you can see if really bad things happen in the world that people can just join and do things together, and that was just amazing. I’m probably going to remember that for all my life."
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said this week that the military alliance has seen "some signs" China could be planning to help Russia militarily in Ukraine.
To mark the one-year anniversary vigils are being held around Merseyside.
Canon Tony O’Brien, Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral, said ‘As a Cathedral and Diocese we have close links with the Ukrainian community here on Merseyside and strong links with a Catholic Diocese in Ukraine. As we mark the first anniversary of the invasion of their sovereign territory, we stand with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters to pray for an end to the conflict, for peace and for a just settlement. We remember also the many innocent people who have lost their lives as a result of this war over the last 12 months.’
Liverpool Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in cooperation with the Ukrainian Catholic parish in Liverpool and the AUGB (Liverpool Branch) will mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with a special vigil on February 24 . The vigil will start on the plaza of the Metropolitan Cathedral at 4:30pm before continuing at Liverpool Cathedral at 5:30pm.
There will be a one-minute silence held to mark the anniversary with Greatest Hits Radio taking part and falling silent at 11am.