A UKRAINIAN refugee living in Belfast says she is "praying" for an end to the war as the first anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia conflict is marked.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War with 14 million Ukrainians fled their home, including over 70,000 who have settled in Ireland.
Among those fleeing the invasion was 36 year-old widow Olena Davydova (36) who fled her home city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine with her son Kyryl.
Olena is now building a new life in Ireland, living with a family in Edenderry village, Country Down under the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme and working as a teaching assistant in De La Salle College in West Belfast.
Olena recalled the terrifying events of February 24, 2022 when she sat down with belfastmedia.com this week.
"We got up in the morning as usual. There is a military airport situated 10km from my city Kropyvnytskiy. There was a lot of noise and a lot of planes. I thought it was some sort of educational exercise," she explained.
"My son said he was away to school. I was very worried.
"The teacher then told us school was closed for the day. I was working at the Donetsk National Medical University, so I called my parents who met him near the school. I went to work. Nobody knew anything about what was happening. We all went to the supermarket and bought supplies like pasta and toiletries.
"The next two weeks was the most horrible moments in my life because we have never experienced war before. We just knew we needed to find somewhere safe.
"There was a lot of older people living in my apartment block. The air raid sirens started to become louder and longer from 20 minutes to two hours to 24 hours a day.
"Many nights we slept in the corridor which was safer."
In June, Olena made the tough decision to leave Ukraine and made the marathon journey to Belfast.
"I am a widow and did not have any protection," she continued. "At my work, my director said please, if you can, go to another location until the end of war because they did not have enough money to pay us a salary. I decided to leave and go to the UK because I know some English. I heard about the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ programme and I had to choose between living with a family in Wales or Edenderry.
Over the last 12 months, the people of NI have shown their solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine following the Russian invasion. To date, more than 2,000 Ukrainian nationals needing sanctuary have been offered support here #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/q7jz1y9Maq
— The Executive Office (@ExecOfficeNI) February 24, 2023
"I did some research and found it was one of the most famous villages in the world with the history of the Giant’s Ring nearby. I am living with Joanna and her husband Tom and they have two children, aged one and three years old.
"Edenderry is a beautiful place. For me, it is the capital of the earth. I really love the little community there but also Belfast because people here are so lovely.
Olena worked with Superdrug before getting a job as a teaching assistant in De La Salle College.
"I am so happy to work here and my son is in Year 8 at the school. It is a brilliant school and the staff are lovely too who really support me."
A tearful Olena wanted to share a message with us from her friend, Karina about what life is like in war-torn Ukraine today.
"Karina wanted me to tell you her short story. 'As a single-mother, I climbed into the cellar with two children, one with epilepsy, and three cats. My legs were shaking from the sound of explosions. I felt as helpless as a child. Food was lowered in to feed us. This is just one day of the war. We have lived like this for 365 days, thanks to the monster in our face which is the Russian Federation.'
"From her message, you can see that people who stayed in Ukraine are very strong. For me, being here, I can help my friends and family too by sending money back to Ukraine."
Olena has a simple message for President Putin- "leave my country". She is also praying that the war will come to an end soon.
"This is not a special military operation like Putin says. This is real war and everyone knows it.
"We did not invite the Russians into our country. Everyone lived very happily and speaks both Russian and Ukrainian. I was born in USSR period. I believe Putin wants our territory and create the USSR again but we want our independence. We do not want to be part of the Russian Federation.
"In the next year, I hope that Ukraine can be free and can become an independent country again.
"I am praying the war will come to an end."
