This week sees the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine with Donald Trump seemingly aligning with the Russian rhetoric. What do Ukrainian refugees think of their adoptive country and Ukraine’s future?
Larysa Martseva and her two children hid in the basement as Russian soldiers massacred civilians in the streets of Bucha, a town 20 miles northwest of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Larysa spent three weeks in that cold, damp place before fleeing to an abandoned ski resort and finally settling in Cardiff, leaving everything behind except her children and two dogs.
When Donald Trump came to power, Larysa thought he was a cunning man who may force Putin to withdraw from Ukraine, but now she believes he admires and loves the Russian president. Even as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit the US this week, Larysa feels insulted by Trump’s rhetoric blaming Ukrainians like her for Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade their country.
“We are responsible for the war? I am furious! I am insulted!” Larysa says while hosting a gathering in Cardiff to commemorate the third anniversary of the war. “I can’t believe that the president of the greatest country in the world would lie without any shame.”
War crimes, continuous bombardment and siege of Ukrainian towns and cities have forced nearly seven million people out of the country since Putin ordered his troops to march into Ukraine. Around 250,000 people came to the UK, and approximately 8000 are settled in Wales.
Refugees say Wales has treated them with love and respect and has been a sanctuary away from the devastation, but it is difficult to enjoy the peace and calm while their country is pummelled with rockets and drones.
Ihor Dymtrenko, 64, came to Cardiff in May 2022 from the northeastern city of Sumy with one of his sons who was extremely disturbed by the bombing raids. His wife and another son stayed back to take care of her ailing sister.
“Here it is peaceful. We have a good life. Cardiff has become our home,” Ihor says stringing together a few English words he knows and using Google translate. “But in some ways, it can never be the real home while my wife and son are in constant danger.”
Ihor is now learning English and attending the Orthodox Church near Cardiff Bay where he has met other refugees.
As this week marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, refugees remain fearful of their country’s future, not because of the aggressor from the east but because of the rhetoric from their strongest ally across the Atlantic.
In a month since assuming office as the President of the United States, Trump has held direct talks with Putin, sidelining Zelenskyy and other European nations. He has blamed Ukrainians for the war, has demanded its mineral resources in exchange for US support and called Zelenskyy a dictator for not holding elections – a Russian talking point.
Despite this flurry of activity and promises of peace deals, Larysa is not sure the war will end anytime soon. She organises events every February to remember the fallen and tries to uplift the mood by assuring her friends they would not see each other the next year as the war would be over. No assurances were made this year.
“I didn’t say it because it’s obvious it’s not the last anniversary and maybe we would be commemorating the anniversaries for the next five years… The Americans and the Russians are going to decide Ukraine’s destiny without Ukraine. It’s an insult,” she says.
Kateryna Gorodnycha, who worked as a journalist in Kyiv believes that Trump and Putin are modern colonialists for whom Ukraine does not matter.
“We don’t matter anymore. It’s just a bigger game between some empires. It’s going to be like new colonialism. I see both Trump and Putin as similar people. They have the same mindset,” she says.
Kateryna, 46, did not vote for Zelenskyy and is still opposed to him. However, she firmly stresses he is not a dictator.
“He [Zelenskyy] is staying in his position lawfully because Ukrainian law forbids elections during wartime and there is logic in that,” she explains. “I don’t want Zelenskyy as my president, but I still think he is the president legally. He is not a dictator.”
Ihor, Larysa and Kateryna have pinned their hopes on the UK and Europe’s support for their country.
“I don’t want to say it, but no, Ukraine can’t fight Russia without the US support. But we stand an outside chance if the UK and Europe come together for us. We are all in the same boat and we must resist,” says Kateryna.
Larysa says UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement about sending British soldiers to Ukraine as peacekeepers has given her more hope.
“Ukraine is exhausted, but we will not surrender. I think we will not lose the war till we have support from Great Britain,” she says.