EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian Ambassador praises West Country help one year into Russia war
Today marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine
Last updated 24th Feb 2023
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK has praised people's efforts to help his country, in an exclusive interview with us to mark one year since Russia's invasion.
Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine exactly one year ago today, (February 24, 2022), in what President Vladimir Putin hoped would be a short and brutal "Special Military Operation", to take Kyiv and overthrow its pro-Western government.
Twelve months later and Russian forces struggle to advance beyond the far east of the country, having lost nearly 150,000 soldiers killed or wounded, according to the Ukrainian military.
We recently sat down virtually with Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko to mark the moment.
"Being frank with you, one of the toughest moments (for me) is actually this feeling of guilt, that you are sitting trying to do your best in safe and comfortable UK islands and there are so many of us (Ukrainians) suffering now under the bombs and devastation," he said.
According to Ambassador Prystaiko 165,000 Ukrainians have been rehomed in the UK over the past 12 months, many of them here in the West Country.
"This is very humbling and honourable thing people are doing here," the Ambassador said.
"Allowing people they don't know, in most cases don't understand (the) language, don't understand (the) culture.
"(The) people are under huge stress because their relatives (are) in Ukraine...This is the devastating experience for the whole nation."
Led by a Ukrainian, Zhenya Shkill, residents in Bath have created a formal partnership with the Ukrainian city Oleksandriya during the past 12 months and are currently fundraising to buy electric generators for the city.
Like many places across Ukraine it is forced to deal with regular black outs, including at its schools and hospitals, because of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Ambassador Prystaiko praised such efforts.
"This project of supporting them...this is not something that people in comfortable Europe understand, how it is to live day after day, the whole year under bombardment with no electricity, sometimes with no water, (they) won't be able to heat food, because most of us (outside Ukraine) are using the same fruits of civilisation," he said.
"Sometimes governments are doing so many things they can't take care of each and every aspect of their citizens.
"That's why it's important when the communities come in to help...
"(The) generosity of these people, that's what's really humbling Ukrainians right now."
He's urged other towns and cities across the UK to make similar efforts.
"We would encourage people to actually push for this more, and find out how the rest of the communities can find their place in (the) bigger scheme of helping Ukraine," he said.
"Ukraine is (a) big nation, biggest by territory in Europe, so a huge effort to support Ukrainians is needed."
Efforts are already going on all across the UK to help Ukraine, but Ambassador Prystaiko says Bath's is among the most "practical".
"To realise that the immediate need is the generators, the medical supplies, simple, simple stuff needed to help people in need, and to not call somebody in London and bang on the government's doors, but actually taking the initiative by yourself, that (is) what makes the Bath initiative so different from the rest," he said.
The Ambassador hopes that eventually, the Russian government will decide the invasion was a mistake.
"Sooner or later, somebody in Russia will understand that they are not gaining anything, and for the sake of this, for the sake of humanity, they have to wrap it up and get back home."