'Grief and pain': Mother shares horror of life in Ukraine as she hopes for move to Shropshire

Those are the words of Ukrainian Viktoriya Dolinska, a mother desperate to escape her wartorn homeland with her son Rafael, 14, and seek refuge in Shropshire.

Viktoriya, who visited the county in 2015 and 2017, has applied to stay with her friend, ex-Shrewsbury mayor Jane Mackenzie. But until her application is processed, she and Rafael must remain in the Kyiv Oblast region as missiles rain down.

Life is a far cry from the sunny days out in Shrewsbury town centre and Powis Castle with Jane and her daughter Sofia, and indeed life before full-blown war broke out earlier this year. Viktoriya spoke to the Shropshire Star to give a glimpse into the brutal reality of life of an innocent civilian in the midst of the conflict.

"The morning does not start with coffee, but with news that Russian troops have bombed," she said. "How many died? How many wounded? We contact friends, relatives from different cities. Unfortunately, every morning brings new grief and pain.

"In addition to Kyiv, we have relatives in Odessa, which is regularly shelled. In Dnepropetrovsk, it is also under fire. In Chernigov, there is little left. Izyum has been destroyed. In Mariupol, fighting has been going on for 40 days."

Viktoriya sent videos and pictures too upsetting to share, sent to her by Ukrainian troops of bodies in bags lined up on the pavement. Some parents have taken to writing their families contact details on their children's backs in case they are killed and their children survive.

Viktoriya and Rafael moved from the city centre to a suburb a fortnight ago, and since some control has been wrestled back by the Ukrainian military, though Viktoriya is struggling to come to terms with images she has seen.

"A few days ago, I thought that I don't have any strength to cry, but after the liberation of the suburban town Bucha and Irpen, after our Ukrainian troops entered there and showed us what happened, I again lost sleep and appetite. I understand that I didn't cry out all the tears," she said.

"Just two weeks ago we moved from the centre of Kyiv to the small town of Kozin, and if something had gone a little differently, then here it would have been the same horror, murder, robbery and violence.

"Now, since the Ukrainian troops drove the Russians out of the Kyiv region, it has become a lot calmer. The air raid sounds only two to three times during the day and one to two times at night. We are used to it. Some grocery stores and pharmacies are open for several hours."

Early on in the conflict, residents taped their windows to try to stop them shattering in bomb blasts. But Viktoriya accepts it would be a futile effort if a missile hit nearby.

"So many residents did that from February. Nowadays people that couldn't leave the city do that to save their flats. Kyiv has been bombed for some time. Now we understand that this is ridiculous and stupid. No sticking tape will help.

"This is not the Second World War. Modern weapons cannot be compared with those years. But we are still in no hurry to remove this useless protection. It is an illusion of security."

Viktoriya also told how Rafael is doing his best with virtual learning, but being away from his friends and teachers is making life tough.

"Since March 28, Rafael has resumed classes at school," she said.

"They are held online, two to three lessons a day. Sometimes, lessons are not held because teachers are in different cities and even different countries. If there is an air raid alarm where the teacher is, the lesson is interrupted. Also, the lesson may not be held due to the lack of electricity or the internet. Schoolchildren are not given homework or assignments, they do not give grades.

"Rafael doesn't go anywhere, practically the whole day in the house. Sometimes he goes for a walk around the house to have fresh air. All shopping, entertainment, sports and other places are closed, but he is also lonely. All his friends are in different cities of Ukraine and other countries. Of all the students in his class, in Kyiv is only him."

Viktoriya and Rafael are hoping to be able to move to the safety of Shropshire soon, but are praying for the end of the conflict.

"This needs to be stopped," she said.