Ukrainian refugees share horrors of war - and have special message for people of Worthing

Worthing Herald and Sussex World reporter Sam Morton was welcomed into St George's Church in East Worthing to speak to some of the refugees – many of whom had to leave family members behind and do not know when they will see them again.

The church provides a warm and welcoming environment for the women to learn English and socialise whilst they adjust to their new lives in a foreign country.

Retired businessman Mike Tyler, 84, who founded the Global Community Development Network charity – and requested that the church be opened to refugees – said the women ‘always have a smile on their face’ but behind the smiles is ‘such trauma’.

He said: “My wife and I are old enough to remember our own experience in the Second World War of bombs and rockets, evacuation as children – and the long absence of fathers – so we can empathise with the traumatic experiences which so many Ukrainian refugees have suffered as we try, with other volunteers and local agencies to help them settle into life in the Worthing district, while they are here.

"We hope and pray for the earliest possible end to this tragic war, so families can be reunited.”

‘We were lucky’

Having travelled to the UK 30 years ago, as an exchange student, Natalia speaks fluent English and acted as a translator during our interviews.

A refugee herself, Natalia fled the Ukrainian city Sumy – 40km from Ukraine's northeast border – and arrived in the UK on May 7.

Natalia recounted the sight of tanks destroying her hometown after it was occupied by Russian forces on the morning of February 24.

“We were occupied for two weeks,” she said. “We really know what it feels like to be living in a basement for five days, with food running out, no medicine, no opportunity to work or travel anywhere.

“We had street fights, we had bombings.

“Many people tried to escape on their own but they were shot by tanks and other weapons. Many people died.

“We were lucky. Only ladies, children and elderly were allowed to go.

“The only reason we escaped was because our city has a very big university. Foreign students study were allowed to escape and go back to their country so this was a very big chance for us to survive.”

After arriving in the UK, Natalia, who worked as an English teacher in Ukraine, was reunited with her school pen pal, who offered to take her, and her daughter, in.

“She is a fascinating person and a great example of Great Britain,” Natalia said.

“It’s an amazing story.

“Learning English sometimes saves your life.”

‘I have never seen anything so terrifying’

Iryna, who was also remarkably from the small city of Sumy – and hadn’t previously met Natalia, said: “I have never been a refugee and I really hope this is the last time in my life to experience this.

“People say that it’s the worst thing you can wish on anyone, even your enemy.

“It’s really difficult to understand that your family is miles away and you are alone here and responsible for a child.

"I really appreciate the efforts of British people to help us.”

Have you read?: Ukrainian refugee flees war to live in Worthing - 'I hope one day, I will be able to return'

Larysa, from Berdyansk – a port city in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast province – also shared her story.

She said she was ‘very sad’ when recounting memories of the invasion, adding: “They are very hard memories. It was very scary and terrifying.

“I have never seen anything so terrifying like the consequences of war. Houses were destroyed, with regular attacks and tanks.

“It was very dangerous to try to escape the city, which was occupied on the 24th [February].

“There were peaceful demonstrations to show solidarity with Ukrainians calling for an end to the invasion.

“There were Ukrainian FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange Program) standing in the streets to show they are against this invasion.

“I went to the demonstration on March 7th. On that day, the soldiers were already there and started to come closer to people with their weapons.

“That was the day I realised I had to find some way to escape.”

Larysa said some people who tried to escape were captured and ‘no one knows’ what happened to them.

She managed to evade capture and reached Vasylivka – a so-called ‘grey area’, which was under neither Russian or Ukrainian control.

Describing this as the ‘most scary thing’, Larysa said: “It was very dangerous.

“This territory was mined by Russian soldiers.

“There were missile attacks and constant danger of explosions.

“People were trying to go the same way and they had left everything.

“When we finally saw the Ukrainian soldiers, we burst into tears as we understood we were finally safe and finally free.”

Refugees’ feel at home in Worthing – but hearts remain in Ukraine

Larysa owned a guest house in Ukraine but now has nothing to her name.

However, she said she has been made to feel at home in Worthing.

She said: “People tried to comfort me with warmth, friendliness and help.

“I always wonder why English people understand Ukrainians so well. Maybe it’s because of their past, with lots of monuments to soldiers from the First World War.

“They know what it means to have losses and survive in a war.

“We really hope we are the last victim of Russia in this war.

“We are all very sad about the fact we have left the country. We all check the news and it’s about our families left there.

“Physically you feel safe but emotionally your heart is still there in the war with your family and friends and the country.”

Another refugee, Margarita, who comes from the capital, Kyiv, said she had to leave her family behind, including her 33-year-old son, who is working as a volunteer in Ukraine.

Margarita arrived in the UK on May 8 after fleeing her homeland following ‘a threat of a chemical attack from Russia’.

Margarita added: “We found very kind people.

“They are really friendly, very warm and they treat me like a daughter.

“I feel very happy and safe there.”

Margarita stays in contact, daily, with her family back home in Ukraine.

“On a regular basis, we speak on video chat,” she said.

“We know exactly what is happening there with my boys but it is still very painful to know that they’re there.”

Have you read?: Worthing volunteers fill van with donations from across the area for Ukraine

Civilians ‘raped and killed’

Refugee Natasha also bravely spoke about her experience of fleeing the war.

Fighting back tears, she recounted ‘constant missile attacks’ in her city of Irpin.

Natasha also spoke of ‘massive cruelty’ with innocent civilians being ‘raped and killed’ .

“It was the most terrible thing,” she added.

“I lived on a street named Hero Street.

“It’s just at the crossroad of the tenth line of the Second World War defence.

“The Russians destroyed everything but they were not able to conquer the territory.

“It’s a symbolic place that is always a picture of what happened to the city.

“Politicians were brought there to see what happened to the city itself.

“It was the last place that the Russians invaded and they were not able to go further to Kyiv.

“There was complete destruction there. A very famous bridge, called the Bridge of Life, was destroyed between Irpin and Kyiv.

“More than 40,000 people saved their lives by crossing this bridge.

“This bridge provided an opportunity to save ourselves but the mayor of the city didn’t leave even for a day. He was fighting there.

“The mayor asked people from Kyiv to help to clean the territory when it was safe.

“So many people came to thank this territory for not allowing the invasion to go further into the city.”

During the interview, Natasha presented a picture of her house in Irpin, which has been destroyed by Russian shelling.

She said common Ukrainians have been trying to fight themselves to ‘protect families in the basements’.

She added: “But a lot of the new houses are built without basements so there is no chance to go anywhere.

“A group of us checked every explosion, whether it was a car or building, and were ready to go to help people get out of the rubble.

“A month ago, I went there to check how people are. People have gone back there to start their life fresh.”

‘All this warmth of a home is worth all the money in the world’

Natasha said she feels at home in Worthing, which resembles her hometown before the war.

“Worthing looks very much like a Crimean city,” she said. “Our territory looks very much like the city I lived in.

“People feel at home here.”

Speaking on behalf of all the refugees, Natalia said: “We really appreciate how brave the people are to open the doors of their homes and how supportive they are.

“We also want to say a big thank you to Mike and [his wife] Wanda, who are our angels here.

“They arranged for us this wonderful chance to get together, when we were very scared and lost.

“There’s a very special atmosphere where you feel at home.

“They help with everything.

“All this warmth of a home is worth all the money in the world. Nothing can compare to how kind they are.”

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