Two men from Moray have driven 2,500 miles to transport a Ukrainian family back home to Kyiv.
Chris Harris and Danny Ralph not only helped the family reunite, but also took another Ukrainian back for a friend’s family and dropped off essential food and medical supplies.
And they are not done yet – the Good Samaritans will also bring Ukrainians looking to resettle in Scotland back when they return.
The friends were prompted into action when it became clear that the family Mr Ralph had taken in were homesick, and wanted to return to their loved ones.
Mr Ralph, his wife Julie and children Freda and Fraser welcomed Katya Voichenko and her daughters Masha and Ksyusha into their home in Forres nine months ago.
But the trio left behind Ms Voichenko’s partner Dimo and son Leo.
Although the three have thrown themselves into life in Moray, they decided it was time to go home.
Mr Ralph and Mr Harris – who has had a “desire to get involved” since the war began, decided to help.
‘Very difficult for mothers who had a full family in Ukraine’
Ms Voichenko told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland: “It’s very difficult for mothers who had a full family in Ukraine before the war, but are now raising children without the father who stayed in Ukraine. It’s a really important reason why people are going home.
“The children are very homesick. They want to study in Ukraine. They want to work in the future in Ukraine.”
Before the war, the family lived in Sumy, a town just 20 miles from the Russian border.
To cover some of the costs of the trip back to Ukraine, Mr Harris started a GoFundMe page, and several friends and family also keen to help.
Ms Voichenko’s daughters also created hundreds of fridge magnets with both the Saltire and Ukrainian flags to help cover costs, and for school books and supplies in the future.
Mr Harris and Mr Ralph picked up a 17-seater minibus for the five-day trip across Europe, thanks to the help of Helen Will, from Global Aid Train.
This meant they were able to take several passengers and supplies with them, including another Ukrainian, Katya, from Inverurie, who wanted to go home for the funeral of a friend killed in fighting.
The group made a pitstop in Luxembourg to visit Ms Voickenko’s sister Leanna, which was emotional as the two sisters had not seen each other since the war broke out.
Once in Kyiv, the rest of the family was reunited.
Supplies to those in need
Mr Harris and Mr Ralph then dropped off supplies donated by Tesco to a couple in Lutsk, Tomothy and Rhoda Sloan, who feed more than 360 refugees each week.
They also delivered medical aid to a children’s hospital in Kyiv, with Mr Harris hoping it “makes a small difference” to people struggling due to the war.
While in Ukraine, Mr Harris and Mr Ralph have been tasked with bringing refugees back to Scotland under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Those coming to the UK will be dropped off in Surrey and Edinburgh with host families, while Mr Ralph will continue to keep his home open to Ms Voichenko and her family if she decides to return to Moray.
