Devastated Ukrainian family 'face being kicked out of UK home' just month after fleeing Kyiv

29.06.2022 - 12:21 / dailyrecord.co.uk

A family that fled the conflict in Ukraine and sought refuge in the UK face being kicked out of their house after just a month.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine in February, Maxim and Olga Hyryk made the difficult decision to leave their home and life in Kyiv with their five children and both of their mothers.

The couple faced an exhaustive journey from the Ukrainian capital to a refugee camp on the Ukraine-Poland border before making it to the UK. They travelled with their two sets of twins Maxim and David, seven, Amiran and Tamerlan, two, Nikol, one, and both of their grandmothers Anna, 70, and Olena, 60.

Amiran has autism and Anna has dementia, and both require round-the-clock care. The family found a place to stay through the UK Homes for Ukrainians scheme - which pays host families £350 per month as a 'thank you' payment, The Mirror reports.

However, Maxim told of his devastation when he states he received a letter from the host family, allegedly saying that they need to be out of the property in Hampshire by July 15. They have started a JustGiving page to raise funds so that they do not end up on the streets, and because they do not have any credit history in the UK they need to provide six months' rent in advance as well as a deposit.

Maxim said: "We can't understand how people can be this way and just refuse us. We are from Kyiv, how can they do this with us when we are not strong.

"It was a difficult decision to move to the UK and not to Poland. Poland is near Kyiv and you feel at home. The UK is a good country, but it is very far from home. It was a big responsibility for me to make this choice."

Maxim's family spent nine days travelling through Ukraine to get to the Polish border,