One Ukrainian woman’s desperate struggle to get her daughter out

By Ellie Forbes and Susan Lochrie via SWNS

A Ukrainian woman has told of her desperate struggle to get her daughter out of her war-torn homeland.

Viktoriia Mykhailova, 61, is trying to rescue her daughter Dina, 37, who is alone in the city of Zaporizhzhia, surrounded by the Russian army.

Worried mom Viktoriia, from Inverkip, Inverclyde, is frantically trying to find a safe escape route for her daughter to get out of the city.

Lawyer Dina lives in an apartment block with 15 units - but there are only five families left as everyone else has fled the city

With uncertainty surrounding her visa Viktoriia and her husband Bill Wyllie, 66, said there is no safe passage to the Polish border.

Viktoriia and Bill, a retired intensive care nurse and former Royal Navy submariner, have been trying to get help from the Home Office to get Dina a visa to come to the UK.

She came to Inverkip to visit her mom and step-dad last November but her visa expired in December.

Former taxation lawyer Viktoriia said: "My daughter is so brave but she is on her own and it is not safe.

"We are very scared for her.

"She lives in an apartment block with 15 flats but there are only five families left there now, everyone has gone.

"The city is still under Ukrainian control but they are surrounded by Russians.

"Every time an air raid siren goes off she has to make her way to the cellar and put herself against the strongest wall.

"There is also a curfew, she is not allowed to leave her home after 7pm.

"She is still even going to work some days but it is far from where she lives and public transport is difficult.

"There are only two trains out of Zaporizhzhia every day and the scenes at the station are horrific - everyone is desperate to get on those trains.

"It is two days in normal times to get to Lviv or even to Poland, but will take much longer now.

"She can't travel in a car because you don't know what she will come across on her way."

Viktoriia said she feels heartbroken watching her 'beautiful' country torn apart, putting her daughter's life in danger.

She said: "I never, ever thought it would come to this - that in the 21st century this could happen.

"We need it to stop right now.

"Where I come from in my region of Zaporizhzhia we speak Russian and we speak Ukrainian.

"I am so proud right now of my country, my city and how we fight.

"Ukraine is alone and we need more help.

"I really hope NATO set up a no-fly zone to protect civilians like my daughter."

Viktoriia, who studied at Kharkiv University, went to college to learn English when she moved to Scotland.

Bill and Viktoriia met in Kyiv in 2008, fell in love and married a year later.

They have been overwhelmed by messages of support from friends and family since the outbreak of war.

Bill said: "We were told Dina would have to make the visa application herself, in person.

"We have tried to go online, but it is so complicated.

"She was here in November, so they have all her details - it should be straightforward.

"It is too dangerous to stay and too dangerous to go and even if Dina leaves she would have to go to Lviv or Poland to get a visa.

"If she was to try for Turkey we don't know if she would get help."

The couple has contacted Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan for help and he has taken up their case.

Mr. Cowan said: "Viktoriia and Bill have every right to expect Dina to be able to join them here in Inverclyde.

"They are a family and should be entitled to everything that families here often take for granted, such as safety, peace and security.

"We need a clear undertaking from the government that Dina will be welcomed here without recourse to visa issues, applications or paperwork.

"That part can wait.

"The choice being faced by Ukrainians of whether to stay or go is the stuff of nightmares.

"It needs to be clear to Dina and her family that if she embarks on a dangerous journey through Ukraine to the EU border, she can travel on and will be welcomed here in the UK."