A message from the Exeter Ukrainian Society

1169, continues in the 21st century...

As a result, some Ukrainians, fleeing the war, settled down in Great Britain and became students at this educational institution.

HAVE you ever had goosebumps from sirens wailing, explosions in cities, and just sitting in the hallway with your family praying for a drone or missile to fly by? Have you ever sat in a room and put up with the thought that you could die at any moment? Have you ever felt the fear that you might be killed, raped, or tortured simply because you are protecting your home and national values? Unfortunately, many of us went through it, and all other citizens of Ukraine still live in this fear...

24/02/2022 changed the lives of many Ukrainians, including some Ukrainian students at the University of Exeter.

The genocide of the Ukrainian people, which has been going on since

Some of us were already studying here before the full-scale invasion, some arrived after the 24th. However, it is difficult for all Ukrainians, without exception. Almost all of us have parents, relatives, or friends still in Ukraine, witnessing this war every single day...

We live every day waiting to hear from our loved ones on the phone that they will say: “We are alive. Don’t worry. Everything is fine”, after another missile attack...

On February 24, 2023, as a sign of the indomitability of our people and an informative campaign, we organized an event

Councillor Philip Bialyk on the war in Ukraine

at the Forum at Streatham Campus as support to Ukrainians: We placed a huge map of Ukraine on the stands, so that anyone who wants to support us, could write their wishes for Ukrainians on this map. You could also see photos of terrible war crimes committed by Russia, which we put on the stand and tables nearby as well. Everyone who had the opportunity reiterated that this could only come with Russia taking responsibility and leaving, to facilitate the start of peace talks. He concluded that he “would like to thank the people of Exeter on behalf of the Ukrainian community” for the support they have shown, and continue to show. could also donate funds to help Ukrainians in this difficult time by scanning a QR code with a link to a page with a verified source where it could be done.

I am very proud of the way Exeter has responded over the last year to the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The city has welcomed those forced to escape the crisis with open arms, and the support shown to all of our guests in the city has been fantastic. We have supported the Devon Ukrainian Association to continue their fantastic work in supporting Ukrainian guests through the Conversation Café in Paris Street, supported by Home Office funding. Under the Homes For Ukraine scheme, the Council has distributed just over £43,000 in guest payments to Ukrainian refugees since the scheme started, helping 213 individuals. So far we have made 133 payments to hosts, totalling £268,650, including £54,100 in discretionary payments, which top up the £350 per host payment from the Government to £500. We’ve also given £39,492 towards rent, deposits and moving costs which has helped 13 Ukrainian households to move into their own private rented accommodation in the city. Many people talk to me about the situation in Ukraine, and the levels of support for the Ukrainian people and what they are going through has not fallen throughout the last 12 months. I really hope that 2023 will bring a satisfactory resolution, one that will bring peace and will allow people to carry on living their lives.

In the evening of the same day, a demonstration to support Ukraine was organized in the center of Exeter (17:30-18:30 on Bedford Street, Princesshay), where everyone who wanted to be with us could come. This reminds one more time that in order to support Ukraine, you have to be just a human...

Also, an exhibition of photos taken during the war on the front line by two previously wedding Ukrainian photographers was opened, where everyone was invited after the demonstration. You can access it until the end of this week at Maketank (Paris Street).

24/02/2023 was a very emotional day. Full of tears, pain, and memories... But we are staying strong because we have to work for our faster victory in this war.

We want to thank the University of Exeter for giving us the opportunity to make our voices louder and to be heard by more people.

After all, not everything people can read in the news or hear on the radio, but we are the ones who saw the war, live in it every day, have information and stories that you are unlikely to hear anywhere else...

Some of us had the opportunity to visit our relatives in Ukraine and experience all this again...

The war continues, people are dying, and we need support. Stand with Ukraine, donate money if you can, and pray. We will win.

Glory to Ukraine!

MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw on the war in Ukraine

Following Putin’s illegal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, my office dealt with countless visa applications for Ukrainians fleeing the terror in their home country under both the Ukrainian family scheme and the Homes for Ukraine scheme. I believe that since the outbreak of the war over 1,800 Ukrainians have been welcomed to Devon and the generosity the people of Devon and Exeter have shown to the people of Ukraine has been heart-warming. I have had the privilege of meeting some of the Ukrainian families who have settled in Exeter, hearing their first-hand experiences of the war and the difficulties they and their friends and family had in leaving Ukraine. Without the generosity and kindness of those in Exeter who opened their homes to Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s violence, along with the hard work of Exeter City Council, Devon County Council, the Ukraine conversation café in Exeter, my staff members and countless other organisations and charities in Exeter and across the country we wouldn’t have been able to support Ukraine as we have done.

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