**War in Ukraine: A Year of Separation for One Woman**
It’s been 1,000 days since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For Sofiia Rozhdestvina, 26, this milestone marks three years of living away from her family and friends in Kyiv.
Rozhdestvina was born in the now Russian–occupied Donestsk region. She had lived with war in her country for 10 years but left after the full-scale invasion in 2022. She moved to the Czech Republic, then Italy, before finally settling in the UK in October 2023 through the Homes for Ukraine program.
**Finding a New Home**
In the UK, Rozhdestvina found a new family with David Haugh and his wife Allison Fraser. They welcomed her into their home in Warwickshire under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. “She is a lovely person,” said Mr. Haugh, “and we were pleased to help her.”
Rozhdestvina has been living with this British family since October 2023. She has settled well and has even found employment at Warwick Business School through a friend of the family.
**Challenges Remain**
Despite finding a new home, Rozhdestvina still faces daily challenges as she navigates life in the UK during wartime. “There’s such a contrast in experiences,” she said. “While daily life here feels stable, my perspective has been fundamentally altered by both the trauma of war and the transformation of immigration.”
Rozhdestvina remains separated from her family and friends, but she checks on their well-being every day before beginning her recruitment job.