A Ukranian father is appealing for sponsorship to get him to Manchester and reunite with his family.
Volodymyr Synelnyk, 38, a product manager from Kyiv, put out a desperate call on Facebook asking for Homes for Ukraine sponsorship to help him reach his children and their mother in the UK.
Volodymyr sent his then-wife Aliona, 35, his daughter Elizabeth, 12, and his son Kiril, 6, to stay with relatives in Slovakia when the war broke out – while he remained in Kyiv for two years with his grandmother.
He said: “You go to sleep and you may never wake up again. A rocket or a Shahed will fly into your house. It is very stressful to live and not know what will happen tomorrow.”
Russia has deployed over 15,000 Shahed 136s – also known as “suicide drones” – on Ukrainian infrastructure in the last year alone.
“Time flies by. I feel heavy in my heart without them around.”
After a period in Slovakia, Aliona found a sponsor in Manchester through Facebook and was able to bring her children with her to the UK.
Volodymyr and his grandmother eventually escaped the Ukraine capital and fled to Germany in 2024, where he has been learning the language so he can apply for jobs.
The horrific circumstances have caused strain on Volodymyr’s relationship, and he and Aliona recently decided to end their 14-year marriage.
But there have been moments of joy: the loving father was able to meet Elizabeth, Kiril and their mother in Spain, where they vacationed last summer.
“They were some of the happiest moments of my life after a long separation. My children have grown and changed a lot.”
“I have almost given up hope of finding a sponsor.”
A fierce bond with his grandmother has kept Volodymyr positive – but this is not her first experience of displacement and conflict.
“This is the second war for her. She caught the war first in 1941 and again in 2022.”
Thankfully she is happy, has made friends in Germany and is making the best of life.
But Volodymyr will not lose hope of being with his family again. Will they stay in Ukraine even if there is peace in the future?
“I wish we all lived in one country. There’s going to be war in Ukraine for a long time. I don’t want my children to live in fear.”
President Trump revealed plans this week to terminate immigration status for the 240,000 Ukrainian refugees currently living in the US, amid escalating tensions between his administration and President Zelenskyy – which the latter has sought to resolve.
According to the Commons Library, a similar number of citizens displaced from Ukraine – around 250,000 – currently reside in the UK.
But a recent speech from the UK Delegation to the OSCE confirmed there will be “no let-up in the UK’s support to Ukraine”, and Britain and EU nations are making a show of solidarity during rapid shifts in the diplomatic landscape.
Until the Family Scheme closed in February 2024, people like Volodymyr could apply to join displaced relatives who had made it to the UK – now the only way is through individual sponsorship.
Homes for Ukraine is a free-to-apply scheme, but applicants must find a sponsor who is British/Irish/settled in UK and willing to provide accommodation for at least six months.
If successful you can live, study and access public services in the UK for up to 18 months.
