WJR KeySupporter Summer 2025-v3.3 - Flipbook - Page 7
REBUILDING LIVES
Vitalii’s story
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022,
Vitalii was working abroad as a doctor for the national
judo team. His family remained at home in Irpin, near
Kyiv - until Russian forces advanced on the city and
occupied it early into the war.
If that soldier had not stopped
them, my family would have met
their death.
For four days, his wife Mariia and their three children
hid in a tiny two-by-two metre dressing room, terri昀椀ed.
When the situation reached crisis point, Mariia took their
children and tried to escape along the road to Kyiv. It
was only thanks to a Ukrainian soldier who spotted an
approaching enemy column, destroying everything in its
path, that they escaped with their lives.
During the Russian occupation of Irpin, almost half of
its buildings were damaged or destroyed. The streets
where Vitalii and his family had made so many happy
memories were reduced to rubble - including the sports
school where he had trained young athletes.
After weeks of anxiety, Vitalii was eventually reunited
with his wife and children. Later that year, they found
safety in the UK, arriving via the Homes for Ukraine
scheme. But starting again in a new country was
daunting.
Thanks to World Jewish Relief’s STEP Ukraine
programme, Vitalii was supported to 昀椀nd his feet again
alongside 13,000 other Ukrainian refugees. He received
tailored English lessons, career coaching, and one-to-one
support to re-enter his 昀椀eld. He graduated from World
Jewish Relief’s programme just weeks before heading to
the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he rejoined the Ukrainian
national judo team as a doctor.
Now living in the Cotswolds, Vitalii is working in sports
medicine and hopes to retrain as a sports scientist. His
children are thriving in school and sport. “We are happy”
he says.
While Vitalii has rebuilt his life, many Ukrainians are
living in homes damaged by shelling and airstrikes.
For more information on how to support Ukrainians, head
over to: www.worldjewishrelief.org/ukraine
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