A YOUNG woman has arrived in Windsor to live with her family after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Vlada Dymytrenko, 16, has moved in with her aunt Olga Line and her partner Roger but said she is still “really worried” for her family who are still in Ukraine.
When the war first broke out, Vlada said she felt scared and concerned her ten family members who were living in Kyiv.
She said although discussions about leaving the country were had, the rest of her family didn’t want to go.
Speaking of her experience in the underground bunker, she said: “It was extremely distressing and I was scared.
“The air sirens were constantly going off and we had to quickly go to safety.
“The fear of Russian soldiers breaking in as well was very frightening and we had a place to hide in case they came.”
Vlada also claimed, and it has been reported nationally, that soldiers have been raping and killing women.
“Olga could not sleep either as she is in a family group chat and has many friends who constantly update here when things are happening and still do,” Vlada explained.
“When she Facetimed us at night, we were not allowed the lights on.”
Vlada added her great aunt has cancer and, as hospitals have been closed, she had to do her chemotherapy treatment herself at home.
And Vlada’s other great aunt also caught a serious chest infection from being in cold damp basements and her grandfather had a broken leg.
She said neither of them could get medical help.
With her family members still living in fear in Ukraine, Vlada explained her parents are “highly stressed”.
“Olga says she barely recognises them, they have aged,” she added.
“The rest of the family are all helping with the war effort, my uncle cooks in a food kitchen, his wife dispenses medication, my cousin and her uncle involved in building barricades, my mum and stepfather deliver medical supplies.
“Life is tough, and they all have no jobs anymore and little food.”
Olga has been making Flame of Freedom candles, which has now raised more than £15,000 to support those in Ukraine.
Vlada, who now helps Olga make the candles, thanked her aunt for her support during this difficult time.
“Olga has been amazing and said I should have left from the start,” she said.
“When my mum started helping with the war they all wanted me to go to somewhere safe.
“It was hard, I tried to leave by train two times but it got cancelled.”
Vlada eventually travelled by bus from Kyiv to Romania, then Bulgaria to Turkey, where Olga met her to sort out her visa before heading to the UK.
“This is a very hard thing to arrange,” she added.
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“Olga's husband spent many hours arranging all of this and paid for it so I am very grateful to him as well and I am helping Olga now make her flame of freedom candles to support Ukraine.
“I am more relaxed now but I am very worried about my family, I can’t speak English either so this is interesting.
“I want to learn but this is not easy to find out how either, I miss my country and friends.”
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