Yorkshire residents being urged to stand with Ukraine
Following the Russian invasion, a man from Keighley with relatives in Ukraine is crowdfunding to help pay for a massive humanitarian crisis.
Last updated 24th Feb 2022
A man from Keighley who has relatives living in Ukraine tells us he's in 'shock' after Russian troops launched a wide-ranging attack on the country last night.
President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences you have never seen".
Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an invasion that could cause massive casualties, topple Ukraine's democratically elected government and threaten the post-Cold War balance on the continent.
Simon Paul Cyhanko, is a third generation Ukrainian from Keighley. He tells us his family and friends in the country are evacuating major cities after shelling from Russian troops through the evening:
"We've got pockets of family living allover the country, I've got cousins living in the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine. They've experienced shelling throughout the evening and they're now heading out from the city into local villages as they believe they're going to be safer there. I've also got a cousin in Southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv which is pretty close to Crimea. I struggle to picture this but a missile flew over his head and smashed the local airfield, which is part of the Russian tactics."
Boris Johnson has vowed that Britain "cannot and will not just look away" and pledged to unite with allies to respond with a massive package of sanctions designed to "hobble the Russian economy". Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said any attack by Russia on an alliance member would be regarded as an attack on all.
Thousands of pounds has been raised to help with the humanitarian efforts for the people of Ukraine, Simon tells us it's vital that people in the UK show their support for the Ukrainian people:
"It's deeply upsetting when you see this on the news and I feel that many innocent people will lose their lives. We've got to pray for a peaceful resolution through diplomacy but if that can't be reached we need heavy sanctions on Russian which will force them to deescalate. I would just ask anyone in the North East or across the country to dig deep and donate to the Ukrainian relief fund as they really need our support. We could see hundreds of thousands of people displaced during this conflict and we have to help them."
You can donate by using the link below: https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpukraine-emergency-appeal