Veronika is a Ukrainian refugee who fled her country when Russia invaded and has reflected on her turbulent year for her and her family.
At 6am on February 24 this year, Veronika Skliarova woke up the sound of explosions., was on holiday with her partner, Sasha, and her sons from a previous relationship, Sasha, eight, and Danya, five.
Now, as she celebrates Christmas, she’s finally back in Ukraine – and despite everything she’s been through, she’s feeling positive for the future.She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m looking forwards. This year was difficult – but it could have been so much worse.When the war broke out, Veronika had been enjoying her family getaway after a busy time at work.
Scared for her family, Veronika called her parents back home in Kharkiv – the second largest city in Ukraine. The fighting there has been described as some of the deadliest battles to take place in the country. ‘Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,’ she says. ‘We promised that if we saw each other again, we’d get married.At the Polish border, Veronika waited with hundreds of refugees, mostly women and children.
In the months that followed, Veronika and her children moved around Europe, calling upon the kindness of friends who offered places to stay. First, the family moved to the Czech Republic for a few weeks, then to Germany where they stayed for three months. Next, they spent two months in France, followed by a further two months in Croatia.
Veronika said: ‘They didn’t have their favourite toys, they weren’t with their friends, and they didn’t speak the local languages. It was really hard on them.’
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