Привіт! (That’s hello in Ukrainian!) Melksham welcomes its first Ukrainian family

A FAMILY from Ukraine have shared the story of their journey to Melksham, escaping a war-torn Kyiv.

Valentyna Lunachevska and her two daughters, Iryna Verbytska and 14-year old Milana Lunachevska, arrived in Melksham this week to stay with a host family in the town after a long journey from the capital of Ukraine. The family left Kyiv on 2nd March, after spending six days hidden in the basement of their home.

“We decided to leave as it was very difficult to eat, sleep, and difficult to live,” explained Iryna speaking to Melksham News. “The supermarket near our home was closed, and because of the bombing we couldn’t travel to the supermarket further out as the roads were very dangerous – it was difficult to buy anything to eat.”

Horror and destruction in Kyiv

In Kyiv, the family described seeing ‘lots of destruction’, Russian military, and lots of ‘scared people’; and only being able to wash and change clothes in the few hours of reprieve when the air raid sirens stopped.

“What is happening in Ukraine is a horror,” said mum, Valentyna, “we left Ukraine to be safe.”

After making the decision to leave Kyiv, the family first made their way to Poland, before leaving for France by bus. In France the family waited for their visas to be processed before making the last leg of their journey to Melksham.

Remaining in Ukraine is Valentyna’s mother, who is staying with Valentyna’s brother in central Ukraine, two hours from Kyiv. Iryana described her grandmother and uncle as being ‘safe’ in their current location, whilst Valentyna shared photos of her mother keeping herself busy making camouflage for the Ukrainian army.

People are very kind

About their arrival in Melksham, Iryna told Melksham News, “It feels very safe here in Melksham and very good, because people here are very kind. The family we are staying with help us every day, they help my mum, me, my sister, and they are helping us to adapt to being here – which is very important to us.

“There are lots of Ukraine flags in Melksham – and this is very important to us, as we feel supported. We have felt supported by all the British people we have met – they want to help us, ask how we are, how we are feeling – they are very kind to us, which we are very grateful for.”

In Melksham, the family plan to continue working and studying as they were in Ukraine. Teenager Milana is attending school online; Iryna plans to continue studying web design, whilst looking for temporary work, and mum Valentyna will continue her work as an auditor, consulting medical enterprises in Kyiv.

Iryna said, “In Kyiv I was a digital specialist – a social media manager; but now all my clients in Kyiv are closed, so I am out of work. But I am studying web design and will continue this; and I will try find work in web design. But also, whilst I am studying, I will look for temporary work to help my mum and my sister – and I want to learn (improve) my English.”

In her addition to her studies and finding temporary work, Iryana – who can speak three languages (Ukrainian, French, and English) – is teaching French online to Ukrainian refugees living in France.

Settling into Melksham life

“Iryna is fluent in French and now provides free classes for children from Ukraine,” explained her mum, Valentyna.

With no end sight of the war, the family say that they are looking forward to settling into life in Melksham.

“We want to return to Kyiv when the war is over,” said Iryna, “but we don’t know when that will be. So will carry on studying, working and exploring Melksham – and it will be very good to connect with other Ukrainians when they come to Melksham.”