Nottingham grandmother 'haunted' as she's unable to reach Ukrainian family following invasion
A grandmother from Nottingham says she's is 'haunted' by 'horror thoughts' as she is says she's unable to reach to her Ukrainian family who live near the Russian border.
Olena Berezhnyi, 56, who lives in Lenton said she can "barely stay calm" thinking her children might have not survived the invasion overnight.
Russian ground troops have crossed the Crimean border into eastern Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation”.
Ms Berezhnyi said she could barely stop the darkest thoughts taking over after watching the land where her loved ones live "completely destroyed".
Her two sons and their families, including a six-year-old granddaughter, live in Derhachi, a small city in Kharkiv province, less than 40km from the Russian border.
She has been trying to get in contact with them this morning (Thursday) but has had no success.
Ms Berezhnyi said: "I do not know if they are still alive - I do not know what happened to them. I am just hoping that they managed to escape.
"They told me that they are ready to fight - they are ready to do it for Ukraine.
"And now I am just scared and I can barely keep calm."
Ms Berezhnyi came to Nottingham from Kharkiv in 2004 to care for her grandfather, who had cancer.
She said her heartbreak was beyond words after she saw her hometown in ruins on TV this morning.
Ms Berezhnyi said: "I was in shock when I saw my hometown Kharkiv destroyed.
"I was sleeping when all that happened - and now I do not know where my children are.
"I am stressed but I know I have to remain calm and keep working here because I have to make more money to send them to Ukraine and help my country.
"But now my family, my hometown, my country and everything I knew is gone."
Shortly after Mr Putin’s chilling televised address, explosions were also reported in the outskirts of the cities of Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, as well as the capital Kyiv.
Mr Putin told a Moscow TV broadcast: "To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history."Ms Berezhnyi said: "Putin is pure evil.
"Putin does not believe Ukraine exists - he does not care about us, who are grieving abroad or the ones stuck there.
"I feel nothing but despair."