'I felt like a traitor, like I was betraying my country'

Vladyslava Bonar was at home with her parents in Ukraine when the full-scale invasion by Russia began.

After waking up and checking the news, she said she soon heard jets flying over her house, in what she described as "a pretty scary morning."

Four years on, the 27-year-old has made Hove, in East Sussex, her second home.

Reflecting on her decision to leave Ukraine and her parents behind, Bonar said she initially felt "like a traitor" and that she was betraying her country.

She added: "I remember I had a mental breakdown; my dad had to carry me as a baby."

But Bonar said she now felt "privileged" to have settled in East Sussex, as one of nearly 26,000 Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the South East under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

"I very quickly found support in Brighton, in Lancing, in Worthing. I relatively quickly found a job and found really good friends among Brightonians," she said.

Kateryna Levanets, 38, and her family were hiding in a food cellar when Russian troops arrived in Bashtanka.

Footage from her mobile phone captured the muffled sound of gunfire overhead. It was just a week after the war began.

Terrified for their safety, Levanets fled Ukraine for Poland with her 12-year-old-son, before arriving in the UK to live with a host family.

"I think this country does a lot for us and I'm very grateful. I feel safe here," she said.

Four years on, Levanets has found a job as a dance teacher, and lives with her son in Folkestone, Kent.

When it comes to returning to Ukraine, she said she was unsure of what the future held.

"I am positive, but I don't know when it will finish. I don't think it will be soon," she said.

For Bonar, she said there was plenty to keep her busy, as she works as a tour guide and an independent consultant alongside volunteering.

But she said she would return to Ukraine.

"If the war came to an end today, I would pack my bags and go and celebrate, and hug all the people, and cry for all the people that we've lost," she added.

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