Strictly Come Dancing ’s Nikita Kuzmin has been reunited with his grandma in Poland after she escaped the war in Ukraine by 'walking five miles in the freezing cold'.
The 24-year-old professional dancer, who made his debut on the BBC show last year, took to social media to share his joy at finally seeing his beloved grandmother as she fled the country following the invasion by Russian forces.
Nikita posted a picture on Instagram, showing him smiling as his grandma was sitting down on a chair beside him.
He revealed he had met her at a train station in the Polish city of Krakow, and his elderly relative had walked for miles to escape Kyiv amid the devastating war in Ukraine, after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade, despite global condemnation.
Nikita said his grandmother could “barely walk” most days, but had summoned the strength to carry on as she escaped the capital, which has been under siege for weeks.
“REUNITED,” he began the lengthy caption, as he explained to his followers the reality behind the heartwarming pictures.
“Picked up my grandma from Poland! She is so incredibly brave & strong, 2 nights without sleeping, walking 8km+ in the freezing cold, when on a normal day, she can barely walk!” he wrote.
Nikita revealed he had driven to Krakow from Frankfurt in Germany, while his mother had flown from Rome, Italy.
“Just so happy to be together,” he added, but admitted there was still heartbreak behind the sweet reunion.
“Unfortunately still have my aunt, grandma and grandpa in Kiev,” Nikita shared, as he said he had been “immersed” in the ongoing conflict, and struggled to be happy when reunited with his family.
“Although I know I should have been happy for my family, I couldn’t. Just had tears on my eyes, because of how sad the situation is. How many thousands of kids and women doing their absolute best to stay strong,” he wrote.
Nikita said he was watching helplessly as Ukrainian people waited patiently for trains to other destinations, and hoped they reached family members safely.
“I’ve seen people arriving from the border, people waiting for the next train to go somewhere, anywhere in hope that somehow things would be ok, people not knowing what to do, since all what they have known as home, it’s not there anymore,” he added, as he pleaded with his followers to help.
“All of this is as well possible only if we continue to DONATE and HELP in any way possible,” he urged.
“This is nowhere near to be over and the best thing that you can do is help anyhow, just DO SOMETHING.”
