A year on from the start of the war
How is Sheffield's new Ukrainian community settling in?
Olga Chetverukhina woke at four-thirty am to a sound she had never heard before but would soon become all too familiar with; explosions.
Her hometown Sumy, barely 30 miles from the Russian border, was one of the first cities that Putin's army bombed.
With no basement for shelter and living just 3km from a chemical factory, the thirty-nine-year-old chose to flee the only country she had ever called home. “It was terrible” she said.
This was just one year ago.
Olga Chetverukhina
Olga Chetverukhina
Leaving behind friends, family and everything she owned she moved to Poland, hoping that a Slavic language would make for an easier transition.
Terrified by the constant sounds of helicopters and aeroplanes she found little to no comfort in a country still too close to danger.
Then one evening she saw a Facebook post from a woman advertising host families in the UK. Within hours she was introduced to Sylvia who offered her a place to stay in Sheffield.
“It was one room but for me what was more important was that it was a safe place” - Olga.
She came to the UK on the 28th of March with only her documents and a small bag. The first Ukrainian refugee to arrive in Sheffield.
A former bank customer service manager, now dependent on the kindness of strangers.
“It wasn’t my dream to be here, I just wanted to find a safe place but I was very surprised because my host family, Sylvia and her parents, were incredible. These are people with very, very big hearts” said Olga .
Olga Chetverukhina
Olga Chetverukhina
Sheffield may be safe but she tells me: “I want everyday to go home. Now it's very dangerous because my native city is only 50 km near the Russian border so even now my area is bombed a minimum of 80 to 100 times per day.”
Olga may be Sheffield's first Ukrainian refugee, but she is certainly not the last.
Over the past year more than 600 Ukrainians have been welcomed into this City of Sanctuary, many arriving as part of the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme - a sponsored visa route for those without family connections to the UK.
Families and individuals like Olga are matched with sponsors who offer them accommodation for a minimum of six months in return for a monthly stipend of £350.
Attendees of Sheffield City Council's vigil to mark a year since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Attendees of Sheffield City Council's vigil to mark a year since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Mayna Krasnova and her two sons are one such family being hosted in Rotherham. She fled here from Kyiv eight months ago. Her husband stayed to fight.
Mayna Krasnova and her two sons.
Mayna Krasnova and her two sons.
Mayna said: “We could literally see and hear all the explosions in the South through our windows and from our balcony. It was too traumatising for my kids and for me as well. I wanted to save them and find a safer place for us.”
She longs for the day when her family can reunite again: “You can’t describe with proper words how awful it is. It can’t fit in your brain, it’s really like a nightmare. So hopefully, fingers crossed, soon it will end.”
Initiatives to support Ukrainians have grown in Sheffield since the war began. Angus Clark and his partner Marcelina Palamar responded to the crisis by setting up English classes for Ukrainian children. They now have five Russian and Ukrainian teachers who provide free online lessons to kids across northern England.
Angus believes Ukrainian children are not getting enough help in schools: “The classes are really important because otherwise the kids won’t have the support they need to feel at home here and they are guests, you want them to feel comfortable”.
Angus Clark explains how his lessons help to build a sense community between students who sometimes feel isolated.
Sheffield Cathedral has hosted multiple events in support of Ukraine including a recent photography exhibition marking a year on from the start of the war.
Minor Cannon Casey Strine talks about the 'Year on from the Ukraine War' exhibition hosted by Sheffield Cathedral.
If you aren't stopping for custard tarts, you aren't doing Porto right.
If you aren't stopping for custard tarts, you aren't doing Porto right.
Ponte Luiz I. A cast iron bridge in the middle of Porto's old town. Look familiar? It was designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.
Ponte Luiz I. A cast iron bridge in the middle of Porto's old town. Look familiar? It was designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.
A modern tilt to the Baroque landscape: the Casa da Música
A modern tilt to the Baroque landscape: the Casa da Música
Torre dos Clérigos. The most iconic and visible of Porto's many Baroque buildings.
Torre dos Clérigos. The most iconic and visible of Porto's many Baroque buildings.
View of the Ribeira district from the upper level of the Ponte Luiz I
View of the Ribeira district from the upper level of the Ponte Luiz I
The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) is behind many of these initiatives including facilitating Olga to run a ‘Help Yourself Shop’ from May to October last year.
Located at St Mary’s Church on Bramwell Lane, the shop provided free clothes and essentials for Ukrainians arriving in Sheffield during the early months of the war.
“When the war started on the 24th of February it was -25 degrees and lots of Ukrainians only had winter clothes on them,” said Olga.
However, the shop provided more than just essentials, it was a place for newcomers to ask questions in their own language and find a community.
Olga Chetverukhina explains the important role the AUGB play in supporting Ukrainians across the UK.
Olga explained how hard it is to accept the charity of strangers when you have been forced to leave so much behind.
“People have a high level education, they own a house and it's all just disappeared in one moment. You arrive from your country and it's very difficult . They still need help but they can’t ask for it” she said.
Olga Chetverukhina describes the support she received when she first arrived in Sheffield.
The Help Yourself Shop at St Mary’s Church on Bramwell Lane being set up.
The Help Yourself Shop at St Mary’s Church on Bramwell Lane being set up.
Founding member of the Sheffield AUGB, Galina Ryzhenko, moved to Sheffield from Kyiv 5 years ago for work.
When the war broke out, she did everything to get her loved ones out of Ukraine including staging a one person protest outside the Home Office building in Sheffield.
Galina Ryzhenko describes how she helped her friends and family from the first day of the war.
A Ukrainian refugee's journey to Sheffield is rarely straight forward. This is the journey that Galina Ryzhenko mother took to eventually arrive in the UK.
Starting in Kyiv she had to make her way to the west of Ukraine
From there she travelled to Romania.
From Romania she went to Hungary.
From Hungary she moved through Slovakia.
And from Slovakia to Poland.
After 10 days of traveling she arrived in Berlin on the 8th of March 2022. The city was crowded with other Ukrainians fleeing the war. Airbnb's in Berlin were expensive and had limited availability which meant she had to move house every few days.
Galina used her companies contacts in Sweden to find her mother a place to stay. She travelled to Stockholm where one of Galina's colleagues agreed to host her .
She was in Stockholm for two months waiting for conformation of her UK visa. Galina staged a one-women protest outside of the Home Office building in Sheffield and finally her mother was granted asylum in the UK.
Galina has supported other family members, friends and even their dogs to make similar journeys to Sheffield.
Attendees of Sheffield City Councils vigil to mark a year since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Attendees of Sheffield City Councils vigil to mark a year since the start of the war in Ukraine.
With her friends and family now safe Galina provides accommodation support to newcomers explaining: “You know the UK has a housing crisis, multiply that by three and you will get the Ukrainian Housing Crisis because you don’t have a job, you don’t know the language, you’re typically on benefits and no one wants you”.
She said it requires 80 - 100 phone calls to secure enough viewings to rent somewhere in Sheffield and that is with 6 months’ rent paid in advance. In bigger cities the problem is even worse.
Galina urges Brits to keep advocating for Ukraine by supporting Sheffield City Council initiatives and putting pressure on MPs to fund more weapons.
“We really want people not to forget about us because the war is still happening, the war is still there” she said.
Olga and Mayna have made new lives for themselves in the Steel City and with no end to the war in sight, we can expect many more Ukrainians to do the same. However, there is hope from Sheffield's first Ukrainian refugee that someday soon there will be “a peaceful sky” over Ukraine again.
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