Hiding out in a basement for 10 days before fleeing a war-torn country sounds nothing short of a nightmare.
But that’s exactly what happened to Svetlana Ishchenko, who was forced to leave her hometown of Bucha in Ukraine when Russians invaded the country in February 2022.
The 41-year-old spent 10 days hiding in a basement with her teenage daughter Anastasiia before eventually escaping to the UK. She later returned to the country to rescue her dog.
Now safe in England, the teacher says she is trying to move on from the ordeal – but says the trauma “aged her many years”.
Svetlana’s friend Olha, who works as an aesthetic physician, offered her free lip and cheek fillers to help restore her confidence.
“The fillers have actually really benefited my mental health because I’ve found harmony within myself again,” Svetlana said.
“When Olha gave me a mirror to look at myself for the first time after the procedure, I was shocked that I could recognise myself again and that gave me a push to move forward in life.
“I feel so much better and more positive about myself, I can’t stop looking in the mirror. I’m also happier to meet new people, to communicate and socialise with them. It’s made such a massive difference to me.
“Now I have kind of reconnected with myself. The treatment benefited my mental health so much, that I have found harmony within myself. I feel confident again.”
Ukrainian forces liberated Russian-occupied Bucha in March 2022 and the mother and daughter then fled to western Ukraine – staying there for a month before travelling to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“We were trapped in the basement for days and there was a moment where she looked at me and said, ‘Mum, I want to live’,” Svetlana, who does not speak English, said via a Ukrainian interpreter. I knew then that I had to get us out of there.”
Svetlana contacted her friend Dr Olha Vorodyukhina, who lives in Nottingham, to help her find a “lovely family” in the city. The mother and daughter were eventually matched and later moved to the UK.
“I can’t even describe how terrible and stressful life was in Ukraine after the invasion and it’s difficult to forget the feeling of fear,” Svetlana said.
“Even though we are now in a safe place, the sound of a train or a police car can trigger more stress.”
The trauma of fleeing war had taken its toll on Svetlana, who said she “did not recognise” herself.
Svetlana said: “I didn’t pay attention to my appearance until I arrived in Nottingham. I finally looked at myself in the mirror and I was shocked by what I saw – I had aged many years during those 10 days in the basement. I didn’t look like myself any more.”
Svetlana bravely returned to Ukraine in September to retrieve her beloved dog, Betty, a two-year-old Yorkshire terrier.
“I felt so tranquil and calm when I was finally reunited with my dog because I felt so guilty having to leave her behind when Anastasiia and I fled,” she said.
“Betty stayed with my father in Bucha until we were able to get her the right vaccinations to bring her to the UK.
“It took me four days to get back to Ukraine but, once there, I couldn’t stay for a long time because I was still scared so I quickly came back after collecting Betty.”
She added: “It was a long wait between April and September without her, but I feel so happy to be reunited with her now.”
Now, Svetlana and Anastasiia are working on building a life in the UK while they still hope that they will one day be able to return to Ukraine.
Anastasiia had been studying Chinese in Ukraine when the war broke out and she has continued her studies online while also training as a hairdresser in Nottingham.
Svetlana has two degrees in medicine and teaching and was working as a teacher before the war – now learning English to gain employment in the UK.
“I’m very worried about what is happening in Ukraine,” Svetlana said. “I have brothers and my dad who are still there. They don’t have any electricity and the central heating is sometimes off because Russia is targeting the infrastructure.
“I think about the horror that I survived and I’m very grateful that I could bring my daughter to safety.
“I hope it will be possible for us to return home one day but right now, we’re focusing on our life here.”
Svetlana’s friend Olha said: “Svetlana already had a beautiful facial structure, but because of the stress she’d been through there were some notable signs of ageing; for instance, volume loss around her temples and the lower part of her cheeks.”
She added: “She also had a noticeable rotation of her chin, which was already present, but something I could correct at the same time.”
Olha used a total of seven millilitres of MaiLi, a dermal filler, which she says has achieved “great results for such a small amount of product”.
“Svetlana really is sparkling,” Olha said. Now when she talks her eyes light up. It’s fantastic.”
Since the treatment, Svetlana has had more good news, as her sponsor invited her brother’s wife and child to join them from Ukraine.
“Being reunited with family was wonderful,” Svetlana said. “Now I’m able to concentrate on learning English and looking for work.
“I’m very grateful to this country, to the people who helped me, and I’m very grateful to have friends who have been able to help me and my family.”
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