TWO sisters from Cwmbran whose step-mother and six-year-old sister fled Ukraine’s capital Kyiv when Russia invaded the country are now seeking visas to help bring them to Wales.
Lisa White and Hannah Boalch – both from Cwmbran – had been closely tracking the journey of step-mother Lesia and six-year-old Miroslava after the pair fled their home in Kyiv almost three weeks ago.
Following a tense period in which it was unclear if their family would be able to make it out of the country, the pair – along with Lesia’s sister Nadia, crossed the border into Poland two weeks ago.
Nadia, Lesia and Miroslava made it safely out of Ukraine and into Poland two weeks ago.
They are now staying in Germany with friends Lesia made when she worked with a church there.
What’s more, the sisters have been part of a huge donation effort from Cwmbran – and were aided by their friends who drove a van’s worth of supplies to the Polish border.
Supplies were delivered to this church in Poland.
“Our friend Jessie Powell and her partner Alex Broughton drove the van over to where our family stayed when they left Ukraine,” Ms White said.
“We’re hoping to be granted visas so they can come here to visit – but we don’t expect them to stay permanently as they’re still under the impression they will be going home soon.”
Lisa, Hannah's son Micah, Hannah, Hannah's son Joel, Matthew (Lisa's husband).
The sisters’ friends Ms Powell and Mr Broughton, from Bristol, raised thousands of pounds to support their journey to the Ukrainian border to provide the much-needed supplies.
“They took a lot of donations to a church in Poland where our family had stayed when they left Ukraine,” Ms White added.
“So, it felt right to send the donations to there. They took over bedding, pillows, and towels. We also have some first aid items which will be going to Poland and then on to Lviv in western Ukraine.”
Jessie Powell and Alex Broughton drove a van-load of supplies to a church in Poland housing Ukrainian refugees, including Lesia and Miroslava.
Ms White had previously spoken of her relief that her family were now safe from the conflict, which has killed hundreds of civilians across Ukraine.
Russia is now ramping up its assault on Kyiv, with reports of explosions at various residential buildings in the city.
The capital’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko has also announced a 35 hour curfew for Kyiv, amid what he has called a dangerous moment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here