When Putin invaded Ukraine in February, Zorian Tytych was just beginning his A level revision in earnest. The teenager, who came to Wales three years ago to study for his GCSEs and then his A levels, had to watch in horror from afar as his family fled their home city of Kyiv and his father and cousin went to the fight on the frontline.
His family told him to stay in Wales and finish his A levels at Cardiff Sixth Form College. But Zorian, now 18, was determined to help and combined revising for four A levels with translating for refugees in Wales and now for the British Army.
Celebrating his results today - with his four As in physics, maths, biology and chemistry was tinged with sadness. Zorian said he tried not to think too much about the danger his family is in as it would drive him "mad with worry".
Read more: Follow all the latest from exam results day live
Zorian hopes the university course he has now got into will one day help him rebuild his country and that translating for Ukrainian soldiers training with the British Army will help his country fight the Russian invasion.
Just as the teenager was revising for his exams Cardiff Putin invaded Zorian’s country forcing his parents to flee their city and his father and cousin to join the defence. Unable to do much to help, and persuaded to stay and get his exams, Zorian first volunteered with Ukrainian refugees in Cardiff during his studies and now translates for Ukrainian soldiers training in the UK.
"I live in the suburbs in west of Kyiv. Before the war started my mum and dad were lawyers. Dad was on the Ukrainian committee for Judicial Reform, taking things up to the European Union level," he said. "He joined the military the day after the war started, signing up to the territorial defence and receiving basic training. He did this because he wanted to protect his home and support his country.
"As the war has progressed, he has moved on; he has been assigned to the military and is now seeing active service on the front line. He is now on the Belarus border looking at routes, surveillance, communication and connecting the regiments and their communities. My cousin is doing the same and is now based near Kherson where he is right in the thick of it and all the shelling. My uncle is currently in the recruitment process for joining the army. I cannot think too deeply about my father as it would drive me mad with worry, but I am very proud of him. Also, I know he would feel it is a disgrace if he didn’t join the army. I cannot think about it too much as it just makes me really concerned."
Zorian is also worried for his mother, who had to flee Kyiv, but is now back in the Ukrainian capital. You can get more education news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
"My mum was forced to evacuate to Western Ukraine where she went to Lviv and was hearing gunfire in the next street. She returned a month later when the Russians retreated from Kyiv," he said.
Zorian visited the homes of British people in Cardiff who have taken in Ukrainian refugees during his revision and exam period. "I am helping these families by translating documents for them, helping them with day-to-day tasks and being a friend to them. They need someone they can communicate with. When my A levels finished, I joined the Armed Forces Military Training Programme over the summer as a translator. Britain now has 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers receiving training from the British Army here in the UK and they need translators and helpers."
The teenager is now going to stay with his Ukrainian godmother in London before starting a biological sciences degree at Durham University in the autumn. His family has told him they are doing all they can to defend their country and they want Zorian to stay in the UK and get the university degree which he hopes one day to use to help re-build Ukraine.
Cardiff Sixth Form College Principal, Gareth Collier said: "Zorian has been volunteering locally by helping Ukrainian families living in Cardiff feel at home, talking to them and providing translation which has really helped alleviate their concerns. He did this during his very busy A-level revision period. We have received glowing reports from the host family who described him as an example of an outstanding, selfless individual willing to help others where he can. He has been an active member of the school community and we are delighted that he is able to continue his education here in the UK with these tremendous results.”
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