An Ukrainian woman has returned home for Christmas for the first time since Russia’s invasion.

Alyona Kildishova fled Ukraine for Derbyshire 18 months ago.

The 27-year-old is originally from Mariupol, but her family moved to Kyiv when their home city was occupied by Russian forces.

Ms Kildishova said after last year, when she was “crying because I was alone”, she was now “excited” to be with her family.

She said she had “a lot of feelings” about returning home for Christmas, admitting that she was “scared”.

“I am mostly excited,” she said. “Last Christmas was the worst Christmas in my life. I was crying because I was alone and not with my family.

“It is our custom to celebrate Christmas and new year together.”

‘Awful sounds’

Ms Kildishova arrived in Kyiv on Friday after 26 hours on the road.

“When I was standing on the Polish border, there was another attack on Kyiv,” she said. “One of the drones just hit the apartment building, two floors destroyed, injured people.

“It happened in the district where my brother rents a flat with his family. They heard all these awful sounds.

“I was just devastated by this news. You never know which house, flat, place can be next.

“Of course I am scared. But I can’t miss another Christmas.

“I must be with my family and continue our family tradition of celebrating Christmas and new year together.”

Ms Kildishova said she would be spending the festive season with her mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, niece and grandmother.

The former Chernobyl tour guide said it was two tourists she met during her work who helped her move to England.

When Ms Kildishova arrived in the UK, she lived with her host in Chesterfield for seven months before moving to Derby to be near her place of work.

She added she was unsure if many other Ukrainians would be returning this festive season.

She said: “I know a lot of Ukrainians feel quite worried. They know during the winter period Russia attacks more often, and try to make blackouts so I think a lot of people are more scared to go at Christmas time.

“Right now, we do not have the mood in Ukraine yet to celebrate.

“It is time together with the family but it is not about big celebrations.”

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