Ukrainian community in Wigan sends lorryload of humanitarian aid to the front line
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Svitlana Vordzkin, her husband Ruslan Vordzkin from Standish and their friend Oleg Sinechko from Manchester, have between them organised the collection and transportation of life-saving supplies to be sent to the border of Ukraine and distributed amongst the civillian victims of war, still trapped in their war-torn homeland.
The team has been tirelessly working to support Ukrainains trying to flee war, raising awareness and sending any help they can to the people left behind in a war-zone. Svitlana has been collecting the necessary items along with Ruslan, who has already driven a previous load through Europe to get aid supplies to the border, and Oleg has been storing the items in his Manchester warehouse and has supplied a wagon to transport the vital items.
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Hide AdEarlier this year, Svitlana and Ruslan helped her father and stepmother, Sergii and Ganna Shygimaga, to flee their war-torn country after months of fear and deprivation in its second largest city, Kharkiv. Her sister-in-law and nephew, Irena and Nazar, also came over to stay with a sponsor family elsewhere in the North West, while her brother, Sergii, had to stay in Ukraine due to the rule that all males aged 18 to 60 are barred from leaving and must fight in defence of the nation.
Svitlana has been in contact with Ukrainian people still trying to flee the war zone and helping them process paperwork and find sponsor families.
Svitlana said: “We have had official requests from the government and hospitals in Ukraine. They keep pouring in and we’re overrun with requests for generators because the energy supply is cut off.
"We have sent food items over, including things like: hospital beds, catheters, medication, camping stoves, sleeping bags and thermal socks.”
As well as these humanitarian efforts, a night of mixed martial arts (MMA) is to be staged at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, in Trafford Park, in Manchester, on Friday December 9 at 5pm. The event is to raise money for organisations involved in Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russian aggression and has been organised thanks to a partnership between Cage Star UK, founded by Oleg Sinechko’s daughter and son, Christina and Alex Senechko, and the Manchester based 3D Fight Club.