Ukrainian refugee 'sad' to miss family visit

A Ukrainian refugee who lives in Derbyshire said she was "disappointed" she had been unable to visit her family this winter.

Helen Martyniuk, who now lives in Pinxton, told the BBC, she decided with her family not to visit her loved ones - who live in Odesa - this winter after the area was affected by power outages, caused by bombings, and cold weather.

The conflict in Ukraine has now entered its fifth year after Russia invaded the country on 24 February 2022.

Martyniuk said: "I feel really sad and obviously disappointed, but I feel more angry because you're not able to control the situation."

The last time Martyniuk visited Ukraine in 2024, she flew to Moldova before crossing over the border into Ukraine with a friend to see her family in Odesa.

She said after being driven over the border by her friend's dad - she saw a couple of explosions in nearby fields.

The 24-year-old said she was "more shocked rather than feeling anything", when she first saw the blasts.

"What was interesting was he was able to recognise what was actually happening.

"He could recognise types of rockets, types of drones and he was like, 'No worries, this particular sound is an air protection mechanism rather than rockets landing somewhere,'" Martyniuk said.

She also said later on the same trip, she was in a shop when the building started to shake.

After the invasion of Ukraine, there have been 5.9m Ukrainian refugees recorded globally, with about 264,000 living in the UK.

More than 1,700 Ukrainians have arrived in Derbyshire under the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, which launched following the Russian invasion. About 1,400 remain, with 150 new arrivals each year.

Martyniuk moved to Pinxton nearly four years ago, and said people in Derbyshire were "extremely supportive" from the beginning - and added she had built a new life in the UK.

"I think I've been extremely lucky with people around me, everybody was supportive and just tried to help me all the time, and I'm not one for trying to get help from people, I'd rather not because I feel awkward about it," she said.

In 2023 Martyniuk recorded a video of herself playing the composition, called the Bee Theme, on an organ which has been watched by millions.

"I've just been so happy that I've brought some smiles on people's faces, some happiness because [in] these bad times we need to find some light and some sun in the sky," she said at the time.

Now, Martyniuk hopes there will come a day when the war is over.

"I'm 24 now and you will think that a 24-year-old has a list of wishes.

"Genuinely my list consists of one thing, that the war is over and then I can transition to happy mode," she said.

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