Ukrainian family speaks of war horrors as they settle into new life in Hastings

Sergii Misnianko, 41, his 33-year-old wife, Anastasia, and their eight-year-old son, Misha, arrived in the UK last week.

Before arriving in Hastings, they spent several days in Poland after leaving their homeland.

The family moved to 1066 Country, as Anastasia’s sister Anna lives in Hastings with her partner James Rowlins and their two children.

Sergii, a lawyer, who was born in Konstantinovka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, said his family first had to move house after Russia occupied Crimea and invaded the Donbas.

He said: “In 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and invaded Donbas, we were all shocked. Yes, hostile rhetoric from Russia was constant, but then no one believed that in the 21st century any country would really decide to change its borders by military force.

“We did not want to leave, we believed that everything would end soon. But night shootings near the house, robberies of shops and corpses on the streets forced us to change our minds.

“We lived with my parents, then with Nastya’s parents, and after several moves, we decided to settle in Kyiv.”

But the family’s peaceful life was shattered when the war broke out in February.

Sergii said: “Oddly enough, the February invasion no longer came as a shock to us. We had already seen this war, heard the explosions and gunfire in the streets. There was only annoyance and anger that the peaceful life, established with such difficulty, was again collapsing. It so happened that the front was approaching Kyiv from the north, and our house was in the south of the city, not far from the forest and far from any strategic objects.

“We were more worried about relatives and friends who were closer to the front.”

Explosions then began to occur more frequently in the neighbourhood the family lived in, then air raid sirens went off and curfews were put in place.

Sergii said: “It became clear that the goal of the invaders was to surround the city. Against the backdrop of terrible reports from Kharkiv and Mariupol about what was happening in the besieged cities, we decided not to linger, like last time, and on March 9 we left the city.

“We applied online for permission to enter the UK under the family program, because Nastya’s sister Anna lives here, with her husband James and two children, Madeleine and Anais.

“On March 22 we entered Poland and in the evening we arrived in Lublin in one of the centres for the reception of refugees, where we were met by staff who were fluent in Ukrainian. They found us a place to sleep.

“Anna, my wife’s sister, advised us to contact a Polish family they know, who live in a small village between Lublin and Warsaw and have already taken in refugees from Ukraine. They agreed to shelter us as well while were looking for plane tickets to Britain.”

Anastasia, an SEO project manager, who was also born in Donetsk, said: “Many people around the world never expected this to happen, and for many it came as a shock.

“I was going to the office in the morning when I read in a working chat that there had been shelling of Kyiv and my colleagues were standing in lines for gas stations and ATMs.”

She said the family first went to Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine after war broke out on February 24.

Anastasia said: “The night we got there, the airport was shelled and air sirens went off every subsequent day, especially early in the morning. So we decided to go to Poland. I am very grateful to the Polish volunteers for their help.”

After spending time in Poland, Sergii and his family were able to fly to the UK, landing at Luton Airport and were met by James and Anna last Friday (March 25).

Anastasia said: “I’m incredibly glad to be safe now. Hastings is a very beautiful town with amazing architecture and I noticed how kind its people are towards me and my family. There are so many Ukrainian flags and posters.

“It’s nice to know that at such a difficult moment in life, so many people are ready to support. I really like Hastings. But my home is Kyiv. And despite the fact that I am here now, all my thoughts are about Ukraine and the events that are taking place there.

“I believe that the good that lives in the hearts of people will overcome the darkness and we will be able to return home.”

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