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Ukrainian family’s

Dmytro was just 17 when he fled Ukraine. He has since been on a plane and seen the ocean for the first time, as he settles into his new life. By

Katie Ham.

WHEN Dmytro Levchuk was woken up by a loud bang on Thursday, February 24, he ‘‘could never even have imagined’’ that less than five months later he would be living in New Zealand.

Born and raised in IvanoFrankivsk, western Ukraine, Levchuk is one of an estimated 6.3 million refugees who have fled the war-torn country since the Russian invasion began.

The 18-year-old university student has now been able to find sanctuary in Hamilton, alongside his 11-year-old sister, Anastasia, and mother, Maria.

His father, Ivan, has so far been unable to leave Ukraine because of a blanket ban on men aged between 18 and 60 leaving. Levchuk got out just in time, turning 18 this week.

Having flown on a plane and seen the ocean for the first time, Levchuk is settling in to life in

Aotearoa well. But he still remembers the fear he felt when Russian forces launched their fullscale attack.

‘‘I remember that first day of the war so clearly. When I heard the first loud bang, I thought maybe something had fallen from a building site nearby,’’Levchuk said.

Then he heard five more.

Running over to the kitchen window, Levchuk saw a ‘‘huge black cloud’’ billowing over the airport, breaking through an otherwise cloudless sky. It had been shelled by Russian forces.

Although he didn’t realise it at the time, Levchuk’s journey to New Zealand had begun.

The Levchuk family spent the next week hiding in a village about an hour away from IvanoFrankivsk. He didn’t want to give the name of the village, for fear it would become a target of Russian forces.

But even there they weren’t yet safe, with Levchuk recalling one incident that left him physically shaking for half an hour.

He and his sister had left the village to get mobile coverage so

‘I am touched that New Zealanders think of us and care about what is happening to our home.’

they could check for updates on the war when they heard a loud noise coming from above.

‘‘We ran to hide in some bushes nearby, keeping as close to the ground as possible while a helicopter flew directly above us. I’ve never been so scared in my life.

‘‘Those first weeks were terrifying. Every day we would hear about Ukrainian security forces uncovering more Russians in Ivano-Frankivsk. Russians were everywhere.’’

Things did, however, eventually seem to ‘‘settle down a bit’’ and the Levchuk family returned to their home in IvanoFrankivsk.

‘‘During those months we were doing everything we could to keep on as normal. I continued my university studies remotely, my parents continued to work and my sister kept on with her schooling. We were doing our best.’’

But life was far from normal, with shortages of things like milk becoming a semi-regular occurrence and air sirens ringing through the streets weekly.

‘‘There was nothing we could do to prepare for a bombing, we just had to wait,’’ Levchuk said.

Yet, Levchuk sees himself as lucky, comparing his family’s experience to that of those in

Lviv, less than 150km away from Ivano-Frankivsk.

‘‘We didn’t have to sleep in the underground as a makeshift bomb shelter for months. We had time to pack our bags. We had food to eat.’’

It was only because Levchuk’s aunt and uncle, Galyna and Yuriy Gladun, already lived in New Zealand that he was eventually able to flee Ukraine alongside his mother and sister.

Ukrainian-born New Zealand citizens and residents can apply to sponsor their immediate family members to bring them to safety. And, as it became clear there was no end in sight to the war, Galyna did just that for her brother’s family.

On July 6, special visas in hand, the Levchuks caught a bus to Krakow, Poland. This was as far as Ivan could go.

‘‘It was hard not to cry, saying goodbye to him, and knowing we wouldn’t see him again for so long. I continue to pray that he will be safe and there will be no more bombs in Ivan-Frankivsk.’’

Once through the Ukrainian border, they flew from Krakow to Helsinki, Finland, and on to Tokyo, Japan, before arriving in Auckland. This was the first time any of them had been on a plane.

‘‘As the one of us who spoke the best English, my father tried to explain to me what we had to do, but I realise now how little we knew about the process of flying.

‘‘For example, we didn’t know we had to fill out a travel declaration form for New Zealand, and by the time we’d done that we’d almost missed our flight. We had to run as fast as we could to the gate.’’

Arriving in New Zealand on July 10 – 41⁄2 months after the war began – Dmytro has been pleasantly surprised.

‘‘I didn’t think people 18,000km away from Ukraine would know or care about what is happening in Ukraine. I am touched that New Zealanders think of us and care about what is happening to our home.’’

Alongside his sister and mother, Levchuk now lives with his aunt and uncle in central Hamilton. Although he has suspended his university studies for now, he has already found a job working as a machine operator with his uncle.

Anastasia and Maria are still working on their English language skills – Levchuk credits YouTube videos for his near fluent proficiency – but are doing their best to adjust to life in their new home, with Anastasia completing two full weeks of school and ‘‘loving it’’.

A particular highlight for Levchuk and Anastasia has been seeing the ocean for the first time on a day trip to Raglan. They ‘‘couldn’t believe how beautiful it was’’.

However they haven’t forgotten what they have left behind, and think of their family and friends constantly.

‘‘We may be safe now, but many of our friends and family aren’t. I hope New Zealanders don’t forget that the war in Ukraine continues to rage on and people are still dying every day. Please remember them.’’

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2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281565179528014

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