Ukraine is both a very young and very old country, having won its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but able to trace its history as an independent nation to the Kievan Rus' in the ninth century.
Today the country celebrates its Independence Day again, as it does every August 24. We spoke to Diana Korotkova, an Advanced Public Health Outreach Officer for Bedford Borough Council, about her home.
She said; “I was born and raised in the capital city Kyiv, in the city centre. When I was little, Independence Day for me was something not to be missed as we walked with parents to the Arche of Druzbi Narodiv to watch the fireworks is the dusk. Back then I had very little understanding of what the day meant.
“Through my schooldays, I felt and witnessed the transformation of our country in every way - people's minds, culture and lifestyle.
“I remember the ‘Orange Revolution’ in 2004-2005. It affected my mindset. That very moment I realised my national identity and what independence and democracy meant to me. How much I wished for my people to live in peace and prosperity.”
Diana reflected on how her own generation are part of a huge divide, with their parents having been brought up in the communist era.
She said; “The history they learnt was the one that the Communist Party created, while we learned real history of Ukraine.
“Although we weren’t taught Russian language anymore, foreign books weren’t translated into Ukrainian so I ended up learning Russian by reading my grandma’s books collection.”
Ukraine has continued to have a tumultuous history since the Orange Revolution. Diana left for England shortly after the 2014 revolution, but she can still remember the “smell of burning tyres and spirit of solidarity, when all the country raised against injustice”.
Eight years later came the latest Russian invasion. Diana said: “February 2022 came as a shock. I will never forget the feeling of total helplessness.
“My family in Kyiv region, Russian soldiers on the doorstep, my brother, my uncles, my cousins and my friends, all joining the army... Doomed.”
She added: “The UK is my home now, and the country my children know. I appreciate life here a lot. Life is comfortable and more secure. I’m used to the British mentality.
“When Russia invaded, people from all backgrounds and all communities started to act immediately to help Ukraine. The Polish community in no time organised donation points all over the town, queues of locals willing to donate from blankets to warm clothes, food, and toiletries. Convoys of lorries took goods to the borders. Local groups, organisations, businesses, Bedford Borough Council, all like one living heart got involved in supporting Ukraine’s fight for Independence.
“Bedford Borough welcomed hundreds of Ukrainians into their own homes, offering everything and more. Two-and-a-half years later, the willingness to help hasn't drained at all. Now I’ve seen the transformation in local communities, in people's eyes.
“All that support, not least from my new hometown, gives me hope for the future, and for the peace, the prosperity of both Ukraine and the UK.”