'We love NI but miss our old lives,' Ukrainian pupils say

Four years ago today the lives of Ukrainians changed overnight when Russia launched an all-out invasion on Ukraine.

The conflict has caused the displacement of six million people.

Of those, 264,000 are now living in the UK and more than 2,000 of those have made Northern Ireland their home.

At Slemish College in Ballymena, 11 Ukrainian students who fled the war are now part and parcel of the school community.

Roman moved here 18 months ago with his mother after the bombing in Odessa got too close to their home.

He enjoys his life in Ballymena but misses home terribly.

He said the realisation he could not go home "destroys you from the inside".

"Because you're realising that you will not see your family or friends for quite a long time," he said.

"You will not spend time with them, and you will not see how they are growing. You can't take part in this growth."

Tetiana also moved here with her mum, after leaving their Zaporizhzhia home in August 2022.

She lives outside Ballymena in the countryside, a far cry from the city life she knew at home.

"I'm from a huge city and just everybody knows everyone here," she said.

"I like the feeling of privacy there so nobody knows you. I really miss my family as well."

Yelyzaveta, who is in lower sixth, moved to Northern Ireland from Kyiv.

She left with her mother and father and younger brother in May of 2022.

She said in the beginning she stayed in touch with her school friends but as time went on the gulf between their lives grew bigger.

Their lives have grown apart.

Tetiana, Roman and Yelyzaveta's influence on the school is now much more than their presence in the classroom.

Since joining the school, Slemish College has become part of a British Council programme which has linked their school with a school in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Slemish College year 10 pupils now hold joint online sessions with pupils at Pokotylivka Lyceum No. 2 where they discuss books, take part in creative projects and learn about the country some of their fellow pupils have been forced to leave behind.

The Kharkiv students practice their English and the Ballymena pupils learn about life in Ukraine.

The programme has given Harry a new interest in the news.

He said before linking up with the school in Kharkiv he did not pay much attention to what was happening in the world.

Now he said he listened more and it had changed his perspective.

Ruby said she felt "quite privileged" knowing that she did not have to worry about having a safe place to live.

She said she valued that outlook and was learning from it.

Tetiana, Roman and Yelyzaveta would like to return to Ukraine one day, but for now they are happy they have found a place where they feel safe and a little bit at home.

Four years ago Europe was plunged into the worst armed conflict since World War Two, when Russia launched an all-out invasion on Ukraine .

In the early hours of 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "military operation" in Donbas, in a TV address, and demanded the Ukrainian military lay down its arms.

Russian forces then launched a major land, air and sea assault on Ukraine, first striking Ukraine's military infrastructure and border guard units.

Explosions were heard in multiple cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, as residents flocked to underground shelters.

On 25 February, Russian tanks were filmed entering the capital city Kyiv for the first time, as the city was hit by overnight blasts that injured several civilians.

By this point, tens of thousands of Ukrainians had already crossed into five countries bordering western Ukraine, attempting to flee the invasion. This figure had risen to more than half a million by 28 February.