Interview with Sofiia Volovyk
Where were you born?
I was born in 1999 in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city located in the northeast of the country. I lived and worked in Kharkiv till 2020, participating in different cultural and community projects in Ukraine and abroad. Since 2021 I have lived and worked in Kyiv.
Where did you work?
Before the start of the war, I worked for New Balance in Ukraine. I was a Retail marketing manager, creating and developing marketing strategies and materials for 27 stores throughout Ukraine (for both concept stores and outlets). My responsibilities also included working with the merchandising department on new store opening projects and working with designers, supervising store opening projects (everything related to the marketing department), negotiating with Shopping Centers and leading the production process of all marketing materials, as well as also organising activities during the opening of stores and working with SMM specialists regarding the official website and other social communication channels.
This position and the lovely team perfectly fit my lifestyle, promoted a positive work/life balance, and keep me moving. New Balance also supported me financially when they found out that I had decided to leave Ukraine. This helped my family (mother and sister) and I cover the travel expenses, including the flight from Belgium to Ireland and from Ireland to England.
In my free time, I helped my friends with the organisation of the festival of ethnic music and dance “ЭТНО DRUM FEST open air”, which was held annually in the Kharkiv region and gathered more than 1000 creative and positive people from all over Ukraine and European countries.
Why did you want to leave?
I left because I heard weapons of mass destruction, destroying my country and bombs shake the earth. The biggest war in Europe since 1945.
More worryingly I lost contact with my mum and younger sister. When they got back to me after 3 days, I found out that their supplies of food and water are running out and there is no way to go anywhere, since the sounds of shooting and bombs were heard very close. It was very scary. A neighbour who lived nearby had his legs blown off when he went out for food and water for his family. Those who dared to go out, genuinely understood that they might never return.
While talking to my mother, I heard a very loud sound down the phone, “What is it?” I asked. “I don't know, the planes are flying low and dropping something. The house is shaking. We don't leave the bathroom,” she replied. I told her, “You need to leave and go to the bomb shelter.” She replied again, “No, we will stay at home. There is no bomb shelter nearby. Your sister is crying a lot, she is scared. We will try to sleep. Take care. Love you.” After that I heard another explosion.
After dealing with a few more days feeling that every second in this war matters, I still began to think about how I can get my mother and sister out of Kharkiv. Since the TV channels an d social media were overloaded with information, enough to put a person in a state of shock, my ability to reason and be decisive, was lost. Russian soldiers started bombing the railroads. It was March 2nd when I realised that I need to start acting intuitively. I opened the schedule of evacuation trains Kyiv to Lviv. The departure was the same day, in 25 minutes and the next train was marked a few days later. I had 10 minutes to pack my things and 15 minutes to run to the train station as the taxis weren't working.
The train didn't arrive on schedule. I waited several hours. At that time, I called my mother and said that I was already at the station and would soon get on the train. And I asked her to do the same so that we could meet in Lviv and then decide what to do. Fortunately for me, after 5 hours, my mother called and said that she and my sister were at the station waiting for the evacuation train from Kharkiv to Lviv.
Our road began... To my dismay, at the same time Russian planes began to bomb the railway station in Kyiv, which were the ones my Mum and sister were travelling through.
What was your journey to Swindon?
My trip took me through 6 countries and countless experiences — Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, England. After so many hours on the road — and after several stops in different people’s houses— I reached Swindon. And now follow me step by step:
An escape through wartime Ukraine…started on 2 March took me 20 hours to get from Kyiv to Lviv by evacuation train, wich was packed with people and animals so that it was impossible to move, even to drink water was not possible, not to mention getting to the toilet. I stood near the door to the train carriage, it was the only place where I could fit. A young woman with a baby and an 80-year-old grandmother were sitting on the floor next to me. Train stops were rare, but every time the doors opened, new people tried to force themselves onto the train, pushing everyone around. Mostly women with small children tried to get into a crowded train. I arrived in Lviv after the curfew. It was no longer possible to leave the station, only if you were lucky enough to catch a taxi and get permission from the police to leave the territory of the station. I managed to catch a car at 3 am on March 3rd. Upon arrival at the destination, the taxi driver did not take money from me ... "Glory to Ukraine!", he said to me instead of goodbye.
On the morning of 4 March 2022, me, my mum, my sister, my friend and her 10 y.o. son plus their dog stepped through the Poland border in Lviv region, after standing in the cue for more then 11 hours. We made our way to the huge volunteer centre where it was possible to find a bus to Krakow, where me and my friend had rented an apartment for 2 days. We were lucky to met two men, who drove us to Krakow. Marek Billik is the name of one of them. He said: “I think Polish people never was so united as now. The desire to help Ukraine united us all».
On March 5, our friends from Germany got in touch with us, offering temporary accommodation for a week or two.
And already on the morning of March 6, I, my mother and sister were on the bus that was going to Hamburg. My friend and her son decided to stay in Poland.
After being in Germany and discovering a language issue my family decided to take a course in an English-speaking country. Through social platforms, we found family in Belgium who were ready to host Ukrainians for a while. March 14 we went to Belgium.
During all this time, I actively monitored the advertisements on the Work Away platform, which sometimes makes it possible to stay with a family and work on the housework to live for free with people from different countries in their houses. That was a plan to find family who can welcome three of us and we can help them with household for a while until it becomes clear what to do. It was hard to find such a place. Money began to run out and there was a feeling that stability is needed.
Terrible news continued to come from Kharkiv. It became clear that we most likely no longer had an apartment, since active battles were fought on that territory. At the same time, we learned from the news that the UK is opening a scheme for Ukrainians that guarantees a house for half a year.
We decided that this guarantee would give us the opportunity to live in a safe territory, the language of which we understand. So we started filling out forms according to the "Home for Ukraine" scheme. By posting a message on social networks, we found a person who was ready to become our sponsor. That person was from Swindon.
From the description of the scheme, it was clear that the process of obtaining permission from The Home Office would take at least several weeks. And we could no longer stay in Belgium. At this time, Orla Tangney and Noel O'Reilly, a lovely family from Ireland, contacted us via the Work Away platform, offering an accomodation for tree of us.
So we start our way to County Kerry, in the peninsular southwest region of Ireland, where we will spend the next month between mountains and beautiful nature, awaiting confirmation from The Home Office that we can enter the lands of the United Kingdom.
On April 19 we all received letters with permission to come to England. On April 21 we landed in London. On April 21, 2022 I arrived in Swindon.
What have you been doing since arriving in UK?
The first month of my stay was spent working with documents and registration of all members of our family in the UK, including registration for school, hospital, obtaining a BRP card, NI number and opening accounts in England etc.
From my first days in Swindon I realised I had a desire and flow of energy to put in to volunteering, so I’ve done a lot of work as a translator, as well as a helper to sort things and prepare boxes for transportation at the unit, which prepared and send Humanitarian aid for Ukraine. I’ve spoken with Ukrainians trying to support everyone. At the same time, I began to actively communicate with active people who did projects for Ukraine and Ukrainians who came in Swindon. These were Kris Talikowski, who organized a bicycle project where the British can donate their bicycle, which, after inspection and repair, will be given to a Ukrainian who arrived; Ieva Delininkaityte, one of the organizers of the unit for collecting and sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine; Tom Morgan, Pattern Church's lead and organizer of The Table, a weekly event for Ukrainians where families can meet and dine together every Tuesday; Shirley Ludford, station manager and trainer with Swindon 105.5, who gave me the opportunity to raise the questions of the arriving Ukrainians during the radio broadcast and talk about where people can meet and what they can get in Swindon; Kelly Morgan, BBC Wiltshire journalist, who interviewed me and other Ukrainians, sharing our stories within radio program then.
Finally, I had a conversation with Kris Talikowski and shared my thoughts and ideas about forming a Ukrainian community in Swindon, which can help all Ukrainians who come to socialise and find their own place in England as well as to unite all existing projects to support the Ukrainians who arrived in Swindon into an organized body.
Kris supported me, and also told his friends, who share the idea to support the Ukrainians, about this. This is how the Swindon Welcomes Ukraine committee was formed. Later, more people joined our team, two of whom are Ukrainians.
What are you doing now?
Now I'm going through transforming times in my life.
Developing my vision, intention, mindfulness, effort through the actions and speech.
I am actively involved in the activities of Swindon Welcomes Ukraine, looking for opportunities to develop and unite the Ukrainian community that resides in the territory the city of Swindon and England in general.
In addition to this volunteer work, I also deep into socialisation flaw. I work at a local coffee shop with a great team, getting new experience and developing my communication skills. Looking for extra opportunities to apply my skills in marketing and design. By interacting with different people, I learn more about the culture of the UK, try to understand local humor and enjoy the changeable weather.
At the moment, I also had a plan to walk from Swindon to the top of Ben Nevis (739 km) in August (Start day is August 24). Which will be a very symbolic trip for me. Perhaps the most significant in my life. At the moment I am developing a route and waiting for Boris Livshits, my 65-years old friend, who is Ukrainian walking record holder, Doctor of Philosophy, to get UK visa and come to join my Path. If someone has a desire to support me financially for this trip (hotel stops and meals. All that remains will go to Swindon Welcomes Ukraine or will be transferred to volunteer organizations in Ukraine) or to make a company, I will be very glad. The only thing is that the pace of walking will be vigorous. Even in the rain, wind or darkness.
Keeping in touch with my friends in Ukraine, I try to find opportunities to support their volunteer projects, because in these inhuman conditions people of the Ukrainian cities try to save each other and cultural values.