'It didn’t feel real': A Ukrainian journey - from fleeing war to being welcomed in Greater Manchester
manchestereveningnews.co.ukForty-six days on, the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. More than 10 million people have fled their homes, according to the United Nations, while another 6.5 million are thought to be displaced inside the war-torn country itself.
One of the lucky ones, as she puts it, is Maria Romanenko, from Ukraine, who joined thousands of others in a gruelling journey without food or water to be able to reach the border of Poland, before she was then able to fly to Manchester.
The 29-year-old, who had spent several years studying in the UK, has managed to set up home temporarily in our region after she was given a visa waiver document by the British Government.
It was her fiance, Jez Myers, a 44-year-old business consultant from Reddish, Stockport, who ordinarily splits his time between Manchester and Kyiv, where Maria had been living since 2018, that encouraged her to escape. READ MORE: ' Why I'm taking Ukrainian refugees into my home - and what needs to change about the system' Having since been granted a family visa, the journalist has opened up about living in England once again, but this time in unimaginable circumstances, and has thanked the local people for their generosity.
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