Ukrainian family forced apart by Russian war ‘happy’ to finally be reunited on Merseyside

• Granada Reports journalist Victoria Grimes met the family who spent 18 months apart due to the war

A father who fled from war-torn Ukraine to be reunited with his family on Merseyside, has described the support from the UK as "amazing".

Andrii Nesterenko remained in Kyiv for the first 18 months of Russia's illegal invasion, while his wife and two children fled to the North West.

Now, two years on from the outbreak of war, the family are "happy" to be back together.

Mr Nesterenko, who is thankful to still be alive, said: "I missed them, I missed them all.

"I was so very happy to see them and to be here and also, I was so very happy about the support of English people, it’s amazing."

The family initially thought they would only be in the UK for three months, but with no sign of the war coming to an end, Andrii's wife Nina has said it is "impossible" to plan for the future.

In the meantime, the couple's children - Hanna and Seva - have settled into the local school, where they have made friends and have learnt to speak English.

Despite this, Mrs Nesterenko believes her children will live with the horrors of what has unfolded in their homeland for the rest of their lives, adding: "My kids have a problem with loud sounds."

The family are calling for peace and an end to war and hope that one day, they will be able to return home.

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