Crowds gather in Abergavenny to support Ukraine

It comes as a temporary ceasefire was expected today to allow civilians to leave the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha - although there are reports Russian shelling has continued.

Around 70 people rallied outside the post office in Abergavenny to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, in what was a hugely emotional event organised by Helen Buhaenko and her family – who have relatives in Ukraine.

Just after 11am, the demonstration began with a minute’s silence to allow those to reflect on the conflict which began little over a week ago.

Around 70 people gathered outside the post office in Abergavenny to voice their support for Ukraine.

The crowd then heard from Ms Buhaenko, her son Alex and daughter Natasha, with the latter reading a moving account of the conflict from their 18 year-old Ukrainian cousin, Kristina, who has been sheltering from Russian forces in Kharkiv with her family.

There was also a speech from Zhenya – a Ukrainian woman living in Abergavenny – who told demonstrators of her fear and worry for her family in the country and thanked the Monmouthshire town for its support.

Abergavenny’s mayor Tudor Thomas used his speech to call on the UK Government to grant visas for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

From left to right: Abergavenny mayor Tudor Thomas, organiser Helen Buhaenko and her son, Alex.

Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies was also at the demonstration and spoke of how the UK Government would be “ripping up the rules” once again to target Russian Oligarchs.

However, Mr Davies’ speech was not without interruption from a small number of demonstrators that called on the UK Government to go further in its support for Ukraine.

Mr Davies said after the event that he was “sorry that one or two people at the rally were trying to turn it into a NATO demonstration.”

The crowd was in full voice as the Ukrainian and Welsh national anthems played out to mark the end of the demonstration.

Alex Buhaenko – who supported his mother in organising the protest – had visited his relatives in Kharkiv late last year and said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“My grandfather came over as a refugee in World War Two,” Mr Buhaenko told the Argus.

“And his siblings children still live in Ukraine – so it’s my mum’s cousin that is still out in Kharkiv.

There were plenty of placards with strong messages at the rally.

“So today we heard from Kristina, who is 18 and lives in the city, and she wrote some words about the experience of what the last ten days have been like and that was read out by my sister.

“I went over there in October to visit, to learn Ukrainian and to understand what the country is like. I just can’t understand what I’m seeing on the news compared to what I saw six months ago.

“It’s just devastating what’s happened to them and I fear for my cousin Kristina’s future – all she wants is peace as well as a free and safe Ukraine.”

First-generation Ukrainian, Zhenya – who now lives in Abergavenny – said the conflict had left her feeling helpless.

“I’m very worried about the situation in Ukraine,” she said.

Zhenya, a first-generation Ukrainian woman living in Abergavenny, also spoke at the rally.

“And I can’t do anything for my family here – I just don’t know what to do for them. I’m going to Poland to see my grandson and my daughter, because I can help them there.

“But for the others, what can we do? I just worry if things will ever be normal again. Nobody in my family ever believed that this could happen.

“Russia and Ukraine are brothers – my friends have relatives there, it’s unbelievable.”

Town councillor Gethin Jones said he was proud of Abergavenny's history of welcoming refugees. 

"We've been a town of sanctuary since 2017," Mr Jones said.

"We have a long and proud history of welcoming refugees here and this was a very important day for us."

It’s thought more than one million Ukrainians have now crossed borders into neighbouring nations, as queues at checkpoints continue to grow.

There has been a huge outpouring of support from people in Gwent over the past week – many who have donated clothing, toiletries, and medical supplies to help those fleeing and remaining in Ukraine.