Ukrainian refugees in Wales have been marking their country’s Independence Day with a series of events and by dressing in traditional costume. Photographer and film-maker Joann Randles staged photoshoots for some Ukrainian refugees, capturing the passion and the spirit of people who have fled war-torn Ukraine.
A special celebration was held in the arts wing of Swansea’s Grand Theatre to mark the day the war-torn country signed the Declaration of Independence in 1991. Produced by Sunflowers Wales, in partnership with the Grand Multicultural HUB, performances showcased a taste of Ukrainian Culture along with stalls, produce and food tasting. Earlier this week, Ukrainian refugees visited Swansea’s Mansion House, whereDance4Ukraine performed a traditional dance for the civic leaders.
Accompanied with the colours of Ukrainian flag, Halyna Andrushyna, 36, and her daughters Kateryna Andrushyna, 12, and Anna Andrushyna, nine, proudly waved the flag for Ukraine Independence Day. Read more stories about Ukrainians in Wales here
Halyna and her family are refugees from Boryspil, a city near Kyiv, that was bombed on the first day of the Russian Invasion six months ago on February 24. Living with their hosts in Swansea, Halyna and her daughters are settling in well in the UK.
Halyna says: ”The main values of Ukrainians and British people are the same - family and children, and love in the family. That is why we are feeling very at ease and happy in this environment.”
As a family, Halyna and her daughters are integrating as much as they can. Their hosts take the children to school and encourage playing with and integrating with local children. They have also joined a church choir and go to Swansea Ballet School every Saturday.
Halyna has found full-time work in a restaurant in Mumbles.
Halyna said she was grateful her daughters could sleep well in safety. She added: “The children have stopped dreaming about war and having nightmares.”
What the family like most about Wales is “everyone is smiling, everyone is friendly, kind and polite. We feel respected and accepted by the people. I love nature of Wales. Everything is green and blossoming. Every month something new is in bloom.”
Of course, the family long to return home and her children deeply miss their father, Halya’s husband, who remains in Ukraine.
Her daughters also miss their grandparents and have expressed deep concern for their grandmother, Halyna’s mother, “as she lives in Luhansk county, which is occupied, so my heart is always in fear something may happen to her. The children also miss their cat.”
Halyna’s daughters are also talented ballet dancers. Kateryna, 12, started ballet when she was four, and Anna, nine, started when she was only two. For the past eight years, ballet has been their life and passion.
In Ukraine, Halyna’s daughters trained at the Kyiv Academy of Art INSE, and since coming to the UK they have applied for The Royal Ballet School, London, because they see their futures as professional ballerinas.
Ohla Boyko, 36, was pictured standing barefoot, in a traditional Ukrainian embroidered dress and Vinok.
Ohla and her family are from Boryspil, a city near Kyiv that was bombed on the first day of the Russian invasion. On the first day of the war, Ohla was watching from the eighth floor of her apartment how cars full of families were rushing to leave in the car park below her. Her family witnessed missiles light up the sky, heard explosions of bombs and saw clouds of smoke.
They fled their home to a village south of Kyiv. But, it was not safe there either. So, they moved to western Ukraine, before seeking safety in the UK. During this time Ohla was 34 weeks pregnant.
The first time Ohla and her family felt safe was when they reached their sponsors’ house in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, on April 4.
Ohla soon gave birth to a baby girl, Stefania, who is now four months old. Ohla and her family are settling well in the UK. Her children are currently attending Welsh school and her husband has secured a full-time job.
The family are very grateful for the support from their sponsors and what Olha and her family like most about the Welsh people is that they are kind and always supportive. What Ohla and her family would like most is to have a chance to go back to Ukraine so Ohla can see her grandparents. Ohla misses Ukraine terribly and she would like to go back, however, understands that for the safety of her children she can’t.
Olha asked her daughters what they miss the most about Ukraine and they responded with “everything".
Four years ago, Olha started to bake some cakes, which soon grew into a profitable business where she was also providing masterclass on how to make mousse cakes. Soon, she hopes she can go back to her own house and start back her business in Ukraine and that her children will grow up in an independent and free Ukraine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to mark the day, declaring the country "can and will win this war". The Prime Minister, making his last visit before leaving office, said the UK "will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends" as he set out a further £54 million package of military aid.
The Prime Minister will leave office on September 6, the day after either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak emerges as the victor in the Tory leadership contest.
Mr Johnson has formed a close bond with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and his visit appears intended to demonstrate that the links between the two countries will continue once he has left No 10.
"What happens in Ukraine matters to us all," he said. "That is why I am in Kyiv today. That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends. I believe Ukraine can and will win this war."
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