Ukrainian woman's 'heartbreak' for children she hopes to shelter at her home in Wirral

Full video report by Tim Scott

A Ukrainian woman living in Merseyside faces an anxious wait for news of two children she wants to offer a new home in the UK.

Nataliya Tarnavska, 24, who moved to the UK with her mother about 10 years ago, wants to bring the youngsters - the children of close friends - to her home in Upton, Wirral.

She said her godmother was staying in the war-torn country but wanted to send her 11-year-old son somewhere safer.

The family was facing an anxious wait for news of the boy, who was heading to Germany with his teacher - and the 12-year-old daughter of another friend.

She said: "My godmother wanted my mum to look after her son but under British law we are not allowed to bring him here.

"Everyone is afraid because there are many cases of (Russian forces) shooting civilians as they leave and we are still waiting for news.

"My godmother is like a second mother to me and knowing my mum can't help her is heartbreaking. There are no words to describe it."

Miss Tarnavska, an analytical chemist for Knowsley-based Algal Omega 3, said her mother was planning to fly out to Germany to help look after the children there once they arrived.

She said visa rules would allow her 72-year-old grandmother to come and stay at their home in Upton, Wirral, but she was refusing to leave her home in Cherkasy, which is about three hours from Kyiv.

She said: "She doesn't want to leave her house. She refuses to leave.

"She's very strong-willed. She's probably more positive than we are. She's refusing to leave even though we have a family visa for five years.

"She is obviously devastated and is saying it is hard - but she is managing."

Miss Tarnavska said it was ''fantastic'' that the UK Government had announced a new sponsorship scheme to allow people here to offer accommodation to Ukrainians displaced by the war.