Ukraine: Call to make it easier for Ukrainians to flee war and reach UK

Vika Gallagher wants to sponsor her cousin to come to Britain but said the rules do not allow it

A Ukrainian woman living in Kent has urged the government to make it easier for relatives to flee the conflict and reach safety in the UK.

Vika Gallagher has lived in England for many years but her sister Anastasiiya Kozyuk and cousin Katya Kravechenko are in Ukraine.

"They are traumatised, scared and heartbroken," she said.

The pair fled from the bombed city of Kharkiv, across to western Ukraine, but they require visas to get to the UK.

A blaze at a Kharkiv University faculty building caused by a Russian missile strike

Her sister has a visa but her cousin does not.

Ms Gallagher, a healthcare professional, wants to sponsor her cousin but has been refused because she is not immediate family.

Ms Gallagher, from Goudhurst, near Tunbridge Wells, said: "My heart is broken into a million pieces.

"Although I've made my life here, my friends and family are back in Ukraine and what is happening is shocking.

"I see pictures of a city I love so much and I don't recognise it.

"Friends in Kharkiv have no food or water... they are hiding underground with their children.

"I want to be able to support my [family] here, and I was hoping the UK government would be supportive of that."

An area near the regional administration building in Kharkiv, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack

Home Secretary Priti Patel announced an extension of visa rules on Tuesday for "immediate family members".

But Ms Gallagher said there was no system in place to allow relatives to travel to the UK and the visa process was "complicated" and takes too long.

"I want the government to action its promise and allow the Ukrainian families of British citizens to come directly to the UK to be nurtured, looked after and helped," she added.

The bells at Canterbury Cathedral rang for seven minutes for Ukraine

Meanwhile, the bells at Canterbury Cathedral tolled for seven minutes to show "friendship and solidarity" with those in Ukraine.

Revd Andrew Dodd, canon treasurer, said: "In a world that wants to divide us and separate us through violence, this is a time to say the world doesn't need to be like that and we can make the world a better place."

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