Ukrainian brother and sister reunited for Christmas

A Ukrainian woman whose husband was killed in the war in Ukraine has flown to the UK to be reunited with her brother in Worcestershire for Christmas.

It is the first time in four years former intensive care nurse Sophia Beshhiaha has seen Serg Lyevashov.

She felt "so peaceful and really safe," when they met at the airport and hugged, she said.

In May, her husband Youjin, a heart surgeon, died after a vehicle he was travelling in was shelled by Russian forces.

"The death of my husband changed my world, I'm not what I was before," she said.

Ms Beshhiaha had spent time volunteering at a makeshift hospital in Ukraine, helping care for injured soldiers: " I saw terrible things."

She said when she met her brother for the first time since 2019, it "uplifted" her.

"We couldn't say much for a period of time, we were speechless," said Mr Lyevashov. "I don't think I've felt like that for a long time."

They will spend Christmas together at his Hagley home.

The aim was to go to a church service on Christmas Eve, then a walk in the fields on Christmas Day, have turkey, and go to a local pub for a few drinks, said Mr Lyevashov.

It felt "special" to be able to offer his sister "peace and quiet and stability and love," after all the hardship she had gone through this year, he said.

"We will cherish our time together," he added. "As the way it goes, anything can happen, we have to appreciate what we have here."

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