Ukrainians worry world will 'get used to' country's plight says Fareham woman who lives with refugee mother

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, at least 6,826 civilians and an estimated 200,000 soldiers have been killed. The war has led to the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War with more than 5.3m people fleeing the conflict, and some members of the Portsmouth Ukrainian community have urged people not to forget what is happening to their country.

Dr Andrii Zharikov, from Kyiv, works as senior law lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. He hopes that people will continue to donate to those suffering in Ukraine and boycott Russian companies 10 months into the war.

Dr Zharikov, who has family living in Ukraine, said: ‘People are suffering a lot even in places which are far from the front line. It's very difficult to get all the basics that we used to have starting with the lights and heat in their homes, and finishing with basic services like hospitals.

SEE ALSO: Southsea charity pays tribute to patron Specials singer Terry Hall who has died aged 63

Andrii, 33, said his aunt lives in Kyiv and has been without electricity for a few days, and her neighbourhood was recently bombed.

Andrii said: ‘there was a huge explosion a few buildings away from where she lives and she lives with two little kids, so they were really scared.

‘They had to wake up in the middle of the night and hide in between the walls in the corridor which is the safest place, far away from the windows.’

While some of Andrii’s family are safe, including his mother and sister who moved to Germany, his father Victor joined the army on the second day of the war, leaving behind a life as a history teacher. He was injured while stationed in the Donbass this summer and has been recovering in Kyiv.

Andrii added: ‘If he is sent to the front line that's an immediate risk of being injured or even killed.

‘For me personally, it's very difficult too because at the moment I cannot really come to Ukraine to visit him. If I go there I will not be allowed to leave the country because of the martial law. That would simply mean that my work visa here in the UK is terminated and basically my life here and my career is over.’

SEE ALSO: ‘I’m never scared of criticism, I'm never scared of adversity’ - Defiant Danny Cowley responds to Portsmouth critics after MK Dons backlash

Like many Ukrainian people, a ‘stressful’ part of his daily routine is constantly checking the news. It has become harder to focus on work when it feels insignificant in the ‘completely new world’ the war has created. However, he retains some optimism.

Andrii said: ‘When the war started, many people including my close relatives thought it would be finished in a few weeks, maybe months.

‘It's difficult to say when the war is over but everyone is sure that Ukraine will win either next year - and hopefully next year - or later, but I don't see any people who would say otherwise.

‘Despite the fact that the Russians are more in terms of numbers and they have more equipment, Ukrainian soldiers still stand there.

‘At the same time there are so many losses. Even if it’s an operation that results in a victory, there are still casualties, people are dying in large numbers which is a big tragedy for everyone.’

Hanna Greentree left her home in Kharkiv, a half hour drive from the Russian border, five years ago. She now lives in Fareham with her husband, daughter and mother, who left Ukraine as a refugee in March. Since going through the ‘difficult’ process of getting 65-year-old mother Iryna Pavlova to the UK, Hanna no longer has family in the war-torn country. Each day, her mother checks her phone for news from home ‘first thing in the morning’.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth politicians rally to save port's carbon-neutral goal - threatened by energy company SSE's 'administrative error'

Hanna said: ‘It’s good that the whole world talks about the war because otherwise I think Ukraine wouldn’t get help.

‘We need to talk about it until the end because otherwise people will get used to it. All the Ukrainians are scared that all the major countries – the UK, the US and the rest of Europe – will stop and get fed up.

‘Watching the news is stressful. Every day you see that people die. It's not a movie, you know the street, you know the city - you’ve been there.’

Hanna, 44, said she has been moved by the way people in Portsmouth have reacted to plight of her country.

She added: ‘I didn’t expect that people would be so touched. It's very nice of people to be so kind to us and very welcome.’

Hanna said that some aspects of the war have been overlooked in media coverage. She feels sympathy for the animals that have also lost their homes – ‘They need help, they need food, they need a place to sleep’ – and worries that the wider issue of climate change will be intensified by the ongoing military action.

She also advised people looking to help by housing Ukrainian refugees to do research and ensure that help goes to those who need it most.

Hanna added: ‘It would be wise to choose people from east Ukraine because they really need help. In the west, it's not that bad.

‘Sometimes unfortunately, some Ukrainians from the west have abused the whole situation. When they come here, they have been offered free accommodation or some help.’

‘What they do is they just rent out for ridiculous prices their flats to people from the east. This is just not fair, what they do.’

Some Portsmouth organisations have supported the people of Ukraine this year. Emsworth based charity Bridge to Unity delivers supplies across the Polish border, with support from Portsmouth helps Ukraine and Hayling helps Ukraine. Recently, a group of Ukranian refugees from Facebook group Hampshire Ukranian Community staged small Christmas carol concerts on Corporation Street and at Gunwharf Quays, raising £598 to send to their country.