A boy terrified and bewildered by war paints an image of the Houses of Parliament – and begs Rishi Sunak to let him come to the UK.
Dmytro Krasnozhony longs to be reunited with his dad under the Homes for Ukraine scheme which, he says, would allow him “to stay alive”.
Large numbers of caring UK families have offered a home and a sponsor host in London is ready to receive the boy and his mum Oksana.
But their case is among 9,400 yet to be processed as red tape adds yet more misery for the war victims.
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Now the youngster has written a heartrending letter to Mr Sunak, saying: “Dear Prime Minister. I am Dmytro, I am 11, and I am already a child of war.
“I loved playing football with my friends but then the war came to my country and I no longer have the life I had. Now I love when there is simply light in my home and when I can play with my classmates outside the bomb shelter. We used to play and laugh a lot with my mom, but now my mom is sad and distant.”
Oksana signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme when it launched last March and found a sponsor almost straight away.
But their passage to the UK has been blocked by Home Office delays.
Dmytro’s dad came to England in 2020 to work as a builder. He wanted to return to Ukraine to be with his family and fight the invasion but a medical condition kept him from enlisting.
Dmytro added in his letter: “I love my dad, but I have not seen him for 18 months because he is in London. I know we will move to England one day and I will be safe there.
"But I also know we are waiting for permission to travel to the UK. For live. I want to play again, I want to see my mum’s smile and hug my dad.
“I ask you on behalf of my family and all Ukrainians who are also waiting for a permission to come to the UK to take prompt steps towards our cases, so that hundreds of children like me will be saved.”
Dmytro lives in Zolotyi Potik, in the south-west of Ukraine. The nearest big city is Ivano-Frankivsk – where a military base was targeted on the very first day of the war, February 24, 2022.
As President Zelensky rallied his nation, Russian missiles rained down on neighbouring towns and villages.
Oksana said: “We have witnessed death and destruction. And the news from other cities is terrifying.
“We have suffered with no electricity and heating. My son is doing his school work by candlelight.
“There are air raid sirens every day. Even when Dmytro goes to school he spends hours in a bomb shelter. Please let us come – stop the delay. There are many of us struggling to survive while this war goes on.”
The family’s sponsor lives in Tooting, South London. Local Labour MP Rosena Allin Khan is calling on Mr Sunak to help.
Dr Allin-Khan said: “This is a heartbreaking story, Oksana and Dmytro need to be brought to safety.
“There is a home in Tooting, ready to house them – our community will welcome them with open arms. We just need the Government to hurry up. Home Office delays are unacceptable. Too many people like Oksana and Dmytro are stuck in Ukraine. I’ve been to Ukraine and met people under constant bombardment.
"The Government must ensure that applications are processed swiftly, getting civilians out of danger where possible.”
The family’s UK sponsor is named Svitlana. She said: “I can only imagine how hard it is for them to live in war conditions.
“I went through local council and DBS checks and became an approved sponsor. I am frustrated that it is taking so long for the Home Office to consider their application as everything seems to be straight forward.
“I want Oksana and Dmytro to come to my home as soon as possible and I am eagerly waiting for them.”
Some eight million refugees have left Ukraine and an additional 5.9 million are displaced within the country.
Bridget Chapman, from the charity Reset, said that although Homes for Ukraine had helped more than 100,000 people, there were still problems getting Ukrainians here.
She added: “This is an issue that needs serious and urgent attention but, in the meantime, we urge all those who might consider hosting to register with us to find out what’s involved.”
Homes for Ukraine was launched by Boris Johnson. Some 47,800 Ukrainians have arrived under the family members scheme, and 115,800 via the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
The Home Office said: “In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion, we launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history. 163,500 Ukrainians have arrived safely. We are processing visas as quickly as they come in – enabling thousands more to come through uncapped routes.”
