A Ukrainian family in London are demonstrating in solidarity with other Ukrainians in the community, hoping to end Russia’s invasion of their country.
Nazar Charyyev, 38, moved to Twickenham last September with his wife, Oksana Charyieva, 33, and their daughter Lia, 5.
The family-of-three moved from Slovenia, having previously lived in Kyiv.
Nazar’s mother, Larisa Charyieva, 62, and brother Sergiy Charyieva, 34, still live in Ukraine and fled Kyiv after the invasion last Thursday.
Initially, Nazar did not expect Russia to invade his country, as he thought Putin had put troops on Ukraine’s border to intimidate and influence Kyiv.
Then he got a text from Sergiy, at 5am on Thursday that simply read: “It’s started.”
Nazar said: “My mother was awoken by the sound of explosions and her windows were shaking.
“That’s how her morning began. I called her and she said she was going to a small village, Drabiv, with no military bases nearby, to be safe.”
His mother is among thousands of others making the same decisions.
On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than 100,000 Ukrainians had fled their homes for other parts of the country.
Nazar saw shocking videos on social media of missiles hitting military bases and other buildings throughout his country.
When Nazar and Oksana discovered that fellow Ukrainians were gathering at Number 10 to demonstrate against Russia, they decided to join.
He said: “I couldn’t accept it. I was devastated and angry, and wished I was in Ukraine. My family is there. I couldn’t stay at home and I couldn’t focus on my work.
“Then our anger turned to hope. We accepted what was happening and took a more rational view of what we could do.
“When we saw that other Ukrainians were going to Downing Street in solidarity to ask the UK government for further sanctions, it gave us hope that we could persuade the international community to impose sanctions and dissuade Putin from his attacks on our country.”
Like hundreds of other Ukrainians demonstrating at Downing Street, Nazar is calling for the UK government to maintain its decisive action against Russia by imposing stricter economic sanctions, especially by cutting Russia out of SWIFT.
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is the global messaging network used by banks and other financial institutions to send and receive information, such as money transfer instructions quickly, accurately and securely.
On Saturday, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada and the United States announced that some Russian banks would be removed from the SWIFT system, effectively making it harder for Russian business interests to operate.
Nazar said: “Russia is a cancer to the democratic world. Putin will not stop in Ukraine.
“I hope cutting Russia out of SWIFT will hurt Russia economically and cause ordinary Russians to protest against Putin’s regime. Maybe then he will listen.”
He would also hope to see the UK welcome Ukrainian people fleeing from the invasion.
Photo provided by Nazar Charyyev
