A Scots student has saved her Ukrainian friend from a city targeted by Russian missiles which left him sheltering in Kyiv zoo alone. Nick, a journalism student from Kyiv, returned to Edinburgh in March after fleeing the war in his country.
The 22-year-old was desperate to help others as the conflict continued to escalate. He has now helped a friend from his hometown escape the danger and come and live with him in Scotland.
On Sunday, June 26 Nicks' Vlad flew from Poland into Edinburgh Airport and is currently staying in Nick's flat as the pair continue to sort out the necessary documentation, Edinburgh Live reports.
After Nick himself fled from Ukraine earlier this year, he told Edinburgh Live how dangerous his country had become since Russia invaded. He noted that many safe spaces for those in the LGBT+ community had disappeared since the war started.
Although he has spent the last few months embracing his new life in the capital and settling in well, the experience has been bittersweet. He speaks of being torn up inside watching his country ripped apart with Ukrainian people still in grave danger.
So when a friend from back home became trapped alone in Kyiv - and after being stuck in the unimaginable situation himself - Nick knew he had to do something to help. Nick said: "I met Vlad when I lived in Donetsk. It was a few years ago.
"We already lived in a military city for a long time and got used to shelling. He is a talented musician and singer, he worked in the Donetsk Philharmonic and performed on the national Ukrainian television and the finale of the show All Together Now. "
Nick explained how All Together Now is a reality song contest similar to the X Factor in the UK and before the war Vlad loved to sing only for his dreams of stardom to be put on hold for now.
He fled Donetsk to Kyiv only for the war to escalate and the capital to become just as unsafe, leaving Vlad to seek shelter alone in Kyiv Zoo where he spent months living alone. Nick continued: "But on February 15, he left Donetsk for Kyiv to shoot the film, and a large-scale Russian invasion began. Early in the morning, Russian missiles bombarded the city centre where it was located.
"He was scared because the war he had fled in peaceful Kyiv had happened again. He lived for several months in the Kyiv Zoo where he took refuge from Russian shelling.
"He had no one in Kyiv, the war caught him alone. He had to start the evacuation himself, as he had health problems and needed treatment."
This was heart-breaking for the young Ukrainian to watch so he reached out to his friend trapped in Ukraine and offered to help him flee the country. "Then I got in touch with him and offered to help with the visa to Scotland under the program Home to Ukraine. In May, he went to his friends in Lviv, where he stayed for several weeks, waiting for medical documents to go across the border," he said.
Just like his own terrifying journey out of Ukraine to safety, Nick told of the risks his friend faced while travelling through Ukraine to get to Poland. He noted: "It was a very hard road because he was facing emotional violence from the security forces. He received death threats because he was born in Donetsk.
"He was being driven in a car with a bag over his head, and he was very scared for his life. But after several hours of interrogation, he was released because he could not find evidence of his false accusations. He then went to the Polish border and flew to Edinburgh the next day."
After months of communication and watching the struggle from afar, Nick was delighted to welcome his friend into the capital this week. The local authorities have moved the pair in together which should offer some much needed support after the traumatic events both have experienced.
Finally Nick said: "I met him at the airport, and he was very tired but happy because he was already safe and no one was threatening him. "The authorities have moved us in together, and now I’m helping him relax, we’re walking around the city, and this week we’re going to do the paperwork and his subsequent integration into society.
"Scotland is one of his favourite countries, and he enjoys the local culture, art, and good people. He plans to enrol in the college’s musical direction and seek out new friends and musicians. "I hope his life gets a lot better after the horror he’s been through. I’ve already evacuated a few friends and I’m glad they’re safe now."
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