Pain of Ukrainians on 2-year anniversary as many lose hope they'll ever return

24 February 2024 , 12:46

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Tanya Klymenko, who runs the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain's St Mary's centre in Sheffield, says refugees face uncertainty about future in the UK (Image: Supplied)

Ukrainian refugeesare wondering if they will ever see their home again – while the rest have abandoned all hope of ever returning.

Saturday marks two years since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, with the war continuing to rage. For the majority of those who fled, leaving behind their homes and loved ones, the future remains just as terrifying as it is uncertain.

Volunteers and authorities supporting refugees here in the UK have told of the trauma still being faced by those who witnessed the violence, while some have even taken the decision to return to their homeland in spite of the conflict as they cannot bear the separation.

Tanya Klymenko, a Ukrainian native who grew up under Soviet rule before relocating to the UK in 2008, helps run St Mary's Centre in Sheffield, set up by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. The 47-year-old who works at Sheffield Hallam University said that, for people from besieged or occupied cities, it was "counter-productive" to dwell on how they’re going to go back.

"It’s a coping mechanism to begin imagining life here," she told The Mirror. "Like thinking about their own future and things like what A levels their children are going to take. They’ve blanked that part about returning to Ukraine."

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St Mary's in Sheffield supports hundreds of Ukrainians displaced by the war (Supplied)

Just a corner kick from Sheffield United's ground at Bramall Lane, St Mary's provides a place of refuge for those who have fled the war over the past two years. "One of the things we do is run Ukrainian lessons for children aged 4-11," Tanya said.

"We have 46 pupils from about 50 families. People believe we’re not going back anytime soon but we want to preserve our Ukrainian culture. We want our children to be able to read and write in our mother language."

Father Bohdan Matwijczuk is known in the Ukrainian community as a "travelling priest", venturing across the North of England and Scotland leading services as one of the country's few Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy. He told The Mirror that, two years on, many refugees and Ukrainian nationals found a growing need to turn to the church for hope.

The 73-year-old based in Rochdale was born in the UK after his parents Mattwij and Maria fled persecution from both the Germans and Soviets during WWII. Both experienced untold horrors in their homeland, including his grandfather who was burnt to death in a shed.

"Trauma has befallen every generation of Ukrainians," he said. "Each of us has had to make a sacrifice and every family has a story." Father Bohdan leads services as far from his home as Middlesborough and Dundee, saying that after the 2022 war broke out, he was forced to expand his base to meet growing demands.

Father Bohdan's family fled Ukraine to escape German and Soviet persecution in WWII (Supplied)

Tanya helps run Ukrainian language classes so children don't forget their first language (Supplied)

Tanya and Fr Bohdan said many Ukrainians had chosen to return home, with the prospect of living in a warzone a risk they were willing to take over being separated from male relatives of fighting age, who are unable to leave the country. Since the Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched, Tanya said around 60% in Sheffield alone were still living with hosts, although many had moved into rentals or social housing.

Many have also faced homelessness, with Tanya saying she alone knew of 30-35 people who had left their hosts with nowhere to go. The government announced this month it would be extending the scheme for a further 18 months. Tanya added: "In the last few months we’ve also seen more husbands and male relatives coming over to the UK, whether they’ve been discharged from fighting or retired."

The Refugee Council's Ukraine Therapy Project added that the main concern for those who fled the war is wheher they can ever return. The Mirror spoke to the Sheffield-based service, which at time of writing has 36 adults and 24 children referred since it began in 2022.

Jude Boyles, Sheffield Therapeutic Services Manager at the Refugee Council, said: "The Ukrainian refugees we work with often talk of the painful impact of the conflict on their families here and in Ukraine, with the continued loss of life and the devastation of war. Reaching the two-year anniversary will be a difficult time as families remain separated and those living in the UK struggle to work towards a more certain future for their children."

Susie Beever