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Ukrainians struggle to find refuge

One desperate refugee described the government's treatment as a "stab in the heart."

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By Ben Turner via SWNS

A Ukrainian mom says she has 'given up' trying to enter the UK, as Border Force officials refuse to disclose the location of a new visa centre that opened in Lille, France on Wednesday, March 9.

Ilona Puhach, 34, and her daughter Melania, 7, in Calais, France having fled from Ukraine on the 25th of February. (SWNS)

Ilona Puhach, 34, has decided to stay at a friend's house in France rather than face British bureaucracy after she fled Russian bombs in Kyiv with her daughter Melania, seven.

Ilona is one of the scores of refugees, many of whom are British citizens, being held up in Calais, France after escaping the Russian invasion.

David Carter, from Yorkshire, England found himself stranded in Calais with his wife Maryna and her children Sasha, 15, and Zlata, six, after fleeing from eastern Ukraine.

He said the kids were left in tears when they were rejected from a UK-bound ferry as their visas - which he thought he had correctly applied for in Brussels - were deemed to be lacking proper paperwork.

David, a transport manager, added: “It’s a terrible situation.

“I’ve done everything correctly. I don’t know what the problem is. This is costing me money, but it’s not about the money. It’s about us getting home.”

Ilona said: "For my girl, I'm trying to make it like an adventure. I tell her it's a game." (SWNS)

British scaffolder Misha Raminishvili, 38, said that Home Office officials in Calais offered him crisps and chocolate bars and told him to drive several hours to Brussels or Paris to get visas for his wife and two children, aged six and 17.

Misha, who drove from Essex to rescue his family from Ukraine's border, described the government's treatment as a "stab in the heart" and called for a visa centre in Calais.

He added that no one had told him about a new centre opening in Lille when he spoke to border officials yesterday afternoon.

Today, an official from the Border Force based at Calais Port said that the site, said to be based in a small administrative building, would start receiving applicants from today.

But they refused to disclose its location or staffing details due to "operational reasons."

A Border Force officer said that refugees would receive directions to the Lille centre when they have an appointment confirmed to collect their UK visas.

Speaking outside the town's seafront youth hostel, where he is staying with around 130 refugees, Misha said: "My family are shattered. All we want to do is go home and be together.

"It looks like nothing has been organized at all. I'm really disappointed.

"I was in the UK for 30 years, I've been working since day one and I've never asked for benefits or anything.

"When the government does this to you it's a stab in the heart."

Ilona, who is staying with a family friend in Calais, last night brought Melania, dressed in a pink coat and hat, to play with other kids at the town's hostel.

Ilona said: "For my girl, I'm trying to make it like an adventure.

"I tell her it's a game - to pass to the next level we need to move and survive. We've lived in six places since leaving Kyiv."

Dozens of families are taking refuge at the hostel, which typically hosts children on school trips, at the expense of local French authorities.

Inside it resembles a playroom as young children run around while weary parents sit on chairs checking the news on their phones.

A meeting room has been repurposed for kids with teddies, toy cars and crayons scattered across the floor.

The hostel is offering free meals, clothing and toiletries to refugees staying at the hostel.

A pinboard at the reception tells families they should apply for the Ukraine Family Scheme, which allows them to join family or extend their stay in the UK.

Another note warns 'No visas delivered in Calais' and says that people must fill in an online form and go to Paris or Brussels visa centre.

Refugees say that no British government officials are at the hostel and their only presence appears to be in a port building with around six staff members based around a single table.

David and his family have since secured visas and plan to return to Yorkshire, England in the coming days.

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