I was quite pleased with how this article turned out. Ever since the invasion of Ukraine began I have been dealing with various groups and organisations ho have been helping by organising appeals for supplies and cash as well as helping refugees after their arrival in the Highlands.
One such group was Highlands for Ukraine which was quickly set up shortly after the invasion and recently sent a large shipment of aid to Poland to be distributed by the Polish Red Cross (PCK) to those fleeing the Russian forces.
I knew they were helping refugees once they arrived in the area and I asked if there were any who wanted to share stories and this family was happy to do just that.
The interview had to be done via interpreters but it seemed to go well and I would not like to have to go through what they had endured. On the plus side is they made it safely to Inverness and were made to feel welcome once they arrived.
A UKRAINIAN family, who fled their devastated Mariupol home because of the Russian invasion, has arrived safely in Inverness.
They left their hometown on May 10, and their journey took them through Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.
Once there, Viacheslav Liamtsev and his partner Oksana Horbatova and their son, 12-year-old Vladyslav Horbatov, waited for eight days to get a visa before they could travel by ferry to the UK.
Mr Liamtsev said the process to get the necessary paperwork was quite easy and Ms Horbatova added that it was very fast.
When the invasion started they were living in the city centre but initially they moved to the suburbs and Mr Liamtsev said he was very upset to have to leave their home.
Ms Horbatova said: “We didn’t have a choice because our flat was destroyed by three rockets.”
She said they were focused on finding other members of their family, adding: “That was the most important thing. We hadn’t left Mariupol earlier because we were looking for my brother. When we found him we left Mariupol – my mum is still there.”
After landing in the north-east of England they headed to Inverness because that was where their sponsor, David Robertson, lived.
Ms Horbatova said she was pleased to have arrived and she liked the area – especially the scenery, including Loch Ness, and the people who were welcoming towards them.
They said they were planning to look for new jobs – before the war they were both bank managers in Ukraine – and hoping to learn English.
The family is living in the Culcabock area and their son said he was looking forward to starting at Millburn Academy this week and making new friends.
They said they did not know when they would be able to go back to their homeland and Mr Liamtsev added: “That would be only when the war is finished.”
Thomas Machnik, who runs the Highlands for Ukraine appeal and has been helping refugees arriving in the Highland capital, said he thought they felt very welcomed in the city. He said: “They are given a lot of support from locals.”
He said there were feelings of guilt with some of the refugees because they were forced to leave family members behind.
“We need to be patient and make them feel at home and not feel that they are a burden,” he added.
From The Inverness Courier on Friday, June 3, 2022.
Ian Duncan Media 