A Ukrainian family reunited in Nottingham after spending three years apart following Russia’s invasion say they now face a fresh struggle to settle in the UK.
Lidiia Pivtorak, 42, arrived in the city from Ukraine when the war began in 2022, searching for ‘safety and security’ for herself and 10-year-old son who at the time was six.
Meanwhile, her husband Oleksander remained in the country to support the forces in the defence of their nation.
After the couple spent more than three years apart they finally reunited in Nottingham in December 2025 to live their new life together.
“They have nothing now, only hope.”
LIDIIA PIVTORAK
Ukrainians in the UK are currently living under the Ukrainian refugee extension scheme, however due to the uncertainty surrounding the war’s end it is unclear how long they will be entitled to remain here, meaning long-term plans are almost impossible for some.
Lidiia told CBJ Target that once she moved from Kyiv, she realised getting a job would be difficult without full UK citizenship.
Formerly a headteacher, Lidiia explains that being a refugee with no British documents means she relies on the kindness of others like City Hub Ukraine, a Nottingham-based volunteer group, to be able to cope.
She said: “We lived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in a 25 storey apartment block, like many others, when the bombs began we had no heating – only electric.
“When my husband stayed he would say that the weather would be minus 25 and the inside of the flat would ice over and he would have to live in an insulated tent inside the building.
“They [the people of Ukraine] have nothing now, only hope.”
Lidiia now works as a Ukrainian teacher for displaced children at a Sunday school but says more is needed to support Ukrainians begin more productive lives in their new homes.
“AT A TIME where I know they’d need us even more, we can’t stop.”
ANN VICKERS
In March 2022 the British government passed legislation allowing Ukrainians fleeing conflict access to all benefits, public funds, housing and work.
The couple say getting work would be easier if they could become full legal UK citizens. But after ‘thousands’ of job applications they rely on donations as no-one will employ them permanently.
Ann Vickers, 58, who Lidiia described as a “real life hero” and her “true family”, has supported the couple through the toughest years of their life, sponsoring both them and their son to live in the UK.
She also started the self-funded City Hub Ukraine with her husband Stuart Vickers, 65, in February 2022 and have maintained their efforts ever since.
The volunteer group, which is currently gearing up to send its 65th 27-tonne lorry to Ukraine, has provided vital aid to the front lines, small villages, and war-torn areas of Ukraine, but has dedicated work to helping refugees of the crisis too.
Ann said: “In ’22 when the refugees started to arrive, we realised they needed help too.
“They’d find us and we’d help them with anything – clothing, toys for their kiddies, and later on when they moved into apartments we’d help them to find furniture.”
But the group isn’t focused completely on the physical forms of help, with Ann saying giving refugees friendship was just as important to them as the other aid they provide.
Currently the group operates three days a week in the Ukrainian Federation House after moving from Nottingham City Hospital last month, but the move isn’t permanent, and with couples like Lidiia and Oleksander in need of constant support, Ann is determined they will find a new location soon.
“There’s still continuous bombing and shelling in civilian areas in Ukraine, and at a time where I know they’d need us even more, we can’t stop,” she added.
The work City Hub Ukraine does has been seen as so essential to Ukraine, Ann and her husband along with a few other volunteers were officially recognised by the country’s Government, all receiving the Ukrainian Cross of Honour and Glory.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment on the plans for any future citizenship status of Ukrainian refugees in the UK. It did not provide an immediate response.
- With -25C temperatures hitting the capital, Kyiv, City Hub Ukraine is asking anyone wishing to donate to provide winter clothes, handwarmers and socks.
- The group takes any kinds of donation, whether food, clothing, electronics or toys.
- Volunteers are always welcome, however the group is always looking for more help with their lorry loading days.
- For every lorry the group sends, it must raise £3,000, so it runs regular events such as Christmas fairs, Spring fetes and even sponsored runs with a team of volunteers running the Robin Hood Half Marathon this year.
- Updates can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
