Ukraine: Hundreds queue for fundraising bake sale in Glasgow

Over the last week, Yuriy Kachak has watched powerless as Russian troops laid waste to his home country.

The Ukrainian national has lived in Glasgow for 19 years, raising a family and running the small Deanston Bakery in the city's Shawlands area.

So when the impulse to support Ukraine's humanitarian effort took hold, organising a modest bake sale seemed the most natural thing to do.

He did not foresee the hundreds that would turn up.

"It snowballed," said Yuriy. "A lot of people wanted to join in. Initially we asked for help, if anyone wanted to join in from local businesses - support was all around.

"Impressed would be an understatement, people are so generous."

Be it generous or ravenous, the crowd were not lacking in stamina as the burgeoning queue snaked around the block from the early hours until mid afternoon.

The event generated a festival atmosphere, with live music accompanying the colourful bakes.

But according to Yuriy, who has distant relatives in Ukraine, many of those who supported the fundraiser were simply looking for a practical way to help people in need thousands of miles away.

He said: "It has impacted all of us - you always think when there's a war and it's not your country you don't take it as closely. But when it hits home - I don't think I will look on wars and refugees in [the same way] as before.

"There are no gunshots where I come from but everyone is impacted. I've been following it closely until the last four days when everything consumed me.

"You can have a normal life today and be a refugee tomorrow."

Tanya Bykova has family in eastern Ukraine in the city of Mykolaiv, near Crimea - which Russia annexed in 2014.

Her husband is currently in Poland assisting family members who have managed to escape, but she said others - including her cousin - will not be able to leave.

"They're all sitting in a house hiding apart from my cousin who is fighting," she said. "He called me yesterday. I asked do you have a gun? He said yes.

"I asked do you have protector glass or a helmet? He said no. He managed to send his wife and his three-year-old girl across the border and now my husband from the UK is in Poland right now trying to help them to set up accommodation because we can't bring them here. We want to bring them here, at least we want to help somehow.

"I'd do everything to bring them here. But the rest of my family is not going to get out. We have grandparents who are really old, my dad is under 60 and could be enlisted - they're staying in the country."

Over the last week Tanya and baby Anton have mostly stayed at their home in Dennistoun, waiting for news.

She said going to the Deanston bake sale was not just a means to get some fresh air, but also helped her feel like she had supported Ukraine.

"Every day I'm calling them and sometimes they cut me off saying they need to go because the shooting has started," she said.

"It's nice to get out a little bit - I've been at home just on my phone trying to do something. It's hard. But we need to stay strong, there's no time to be upset and cry."

On Sunday the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said Russia was striking civilian targets in Ukraine, including hospitals, nurseries and schools.

UN monitors have said 351 civilian deaths had been confirmed in Ukraine since the invasion began on 24 February, but the real figure was likely to be "considerably higher".

The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, said more than 1.5m people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded.

The crisis has compelled people across Scotland to support those in need of food, clothing and shelter.

While cakes were sold to raise money in Glasgow, volunteers turned up in droves to help the Edinburgh Ukrainian social club which has been overwhelmed with donations.

And on Saturday, hundreds of people took part in anti-war protests across the country from Glasgow to Shetland.