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Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, it's estimated that nearly 8 million people have fled the country, with another 6.5 million moving within Ukraine.
UN Women UK has highlighted the plight of women and girls during the crisis, pointing out that “An estimated 54% of people in need of assistance from the ongoing crisis are women, and women and girls are consistently disproportionately affected by conflict.”
GLAMOUR spoke to four displaced Ukrainian women – who the Disasters Emergency Committee has supported – to discover how life has changed since the invasion, their hopes for the future, and how they're spending their first Christmas away from home.
Elena: ‘I will do everything to ensure this holiday is as special as ever for my daughters.’
Elena is a journalist and news presenter in Ukraine. At the moment, she lives in a repurposed hotel in Bucharest, Romania, with her seven-year-old daughter, Yulia, and other refugees. “It's no secret that Christmas is a holiday for families," she tells GLAMOUR. “My daughters are with me here, and I will do everything to ensure this holiday is as special and mysterious as ever for them.”
However, she adds, “It is so hard for me to live without my son. Although everything is fine, I feel my whole soul tremble when I think about that day when we will not have him with us for Christmas. However, I don't show it to him. Every evening, we speak and dream that he will soon come to us…”
Elena's decision to seek refuge in Romania was not an easy one, she tells GLAMOUR: "I decided to leave when the railway station in Dnipro was about to be surrounded.
“My sister called and told me to leave while I still could. I was in shock because I didn’t want to go anywhere. But the sirens went off six-to-seven times per day, and my younger daughter hid everything under the table because she was scared… It's difficult to see when your child is so scared. She sat and ate under the table. I started having panic attacks. That's when I decided to come over here.”
"Here in Bucharest, I'm not sure how Christmas is celebrated, but we'll definitely have Kutya and uzvar. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to this day. No matter what the New Year will bring, I don't want it to take away my family and friends. The most important thing is that those I love are still alive.”
Svetlana: 'This will be my first Christmas away from home, even though I'm over 40'
Svetlana is currently in Moldova with her children. Prior to the Russian invasion, she lived in Odessa with her husband, children, and their dog. “We stayed at home for almost two months [after the invasion],” she tells GLAMOUR. "We hid in the basements during air alerts. We tried not to go anywhere and stay at home for all this time.
“This will be my first Christmas away from home, even though I'm over 40. We always gathered the whole family at the festive table, exchanged gifts, told stories, joked and had a good time together. Unfortunately, this year we will just have to celebrate it with each other on the phone – if there is an internet connection and light."
“Sadly, I have no plans [for Christmas]. I'm in Moldova with my children, but, to be honest, I haven't thought about the holiday yet, and even more so, how we will celebrate it. We will probably set the table for three and will think about our noisy holidays in Ukraine, look through photos, and play board games.”
“For 2023, I wish, like most of Ukrainians, for a return home to our peaceful and native Ukraine. I want my relatives and loved ones to be healthy and alive. I wish that the people of Ukraine will never know such a grief as war again! I wish that families can be reunited and we can all live happily in our native land.”
African students are being abused, attacked, and shot at trying to reach safety, because of the colour of their skin.
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Iris*: 'We're not going to make a lot of noise'
Iris* is 44 years old and has two children. She is spending Christmas in a bomb shelter in Ukraine with her children. “We will have to celebrate [Christmas] down here [in the bomb shelter,” she tells GLAMOUR. "The holiday is [still] happening. It's not the kids' fault. And Father Christmas will come to see them. He will bring them gifts.
“Usually we are gathering all together as a family. It is very beautiful, warm and in a family way. There are only my kids and me now. We're going to gather here with friends. But it is going to be in a shelter. Thanks to Depaul [local partner of DEC member charity Plan and CAFOD] we're going to have food. As usual, we're going to decorate our new “home.” We're not going to make a lot of noise.
"I don't know yet. But I hope we'll come up with something. Hopefully, there will be no missiles. I'm going to miss my home. I'm going to miss my mum and sisters. The smell of tangerines, fresh bakery and olive salad. Things that you can only cook at home. And the sound of crystal glasses.
“It is something so familiar to our people. Everyone is celebrating in the same way. Everyone is happy. I'm going to miss it a lot.
“I hope that everything will change for the best. And I will be celebrating next Christmas at home. I hope that people will make the right conclusions after this. I hope for their sanity. For wisdom. It is important to know your history and to not make the same mistakes. I love people a lot. I don't want them to die. I hope it’s going to be over soon."
Yuliia Zhdanova: ‘We will try to make the time as happy as possible for our children, but it won’t be the same’
Yuliia came to the UK from Chernihiv in July, with her two children (Stepan, 11, and Illia, 14) and her mother. Her husband had to stay behind in Ukraine, under martial law. She came to the UK through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and now lives in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, with her hosts Ellen and Gordon. She works for the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC’s) Ukraine Response Programme in the UK as a Client and Community Outreach Officer, supporting other Ukrainian refugees with integration. Not only is she celebrating her first Christmas in the UK, but she is also supporting other recently arrived Ukrainians during their first Christmas through her work at the IRC.
“December in Ukraine is a time of excitement,” she tells GLAMOUR. "This year, the excitement is muted and the festivities don’t bring as much happiness. We will try to make the time as happy as possible for our children, but it won’t be the same, and we will miss our family and community in Ukraine.
"At home, usually we had a big family dinner at Christmas. We usually went to my mother-in-law - she cooked traditional Ukrainian dishes and everybody gathered. This was our tradition for more than 15 years.
"Our hosts have invited us to be together at a Christmas party. They were so tolerant – they said ‘there’s no need to join, if you have other plans it’s no problem’ – but we will join them and have an English Christmas. Also, on the 26th, which is Boxing Day, we plan to meet with our Ukrainian friends at our friend Natasha’s house. One of our Ukrainian friends is going to cook - maybe not 12 dishes, but at least some Ukrainian dishes. We will also bring some food.
"We have stopped planning anything except victory. If there’s something we would really want to have it's victory – and then we will speak about our future plans. Today, I discussed it with my friend and she said that almost one year has passed since the beginning of the war. And it's like this was a year without life – just existing. So there’s no need to play; we live every single day without much planning. There are no long term goals – we’ll think about that later."
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For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
