Oakham mum, who fled Dnipro after Russian invasion, donates family car to women’s battalion in Ukraine

A family car used here for the everyday tasks like a run to the shops has started a new chapter saving lives in Ukraine.

Olga Koniukhova, who escaped to Rutland seven months after war broke out in her native Ukraine, has donated her Seat Ibiza to a women’s battalion in Sumy, a city in the north-east of the country.

Through the help of Stamford humanitarian aid volunteer, Fiona Parker, the car was driven across Europe by an Australian volunteer working with the Sustain Ukraine aid group.

Fiona paid for the car to be serviced, including new tyres, and helped fill it with toys, clothes and medical equipment for children at Dnipro Hospital.

The run-around had been a Christmas gift to Olga, three months after she arrived in the UK, from Rutland resident, Hannah Chandler.

“She made a huge gift for me and my daughter, she really wanted to help Ukrainians who came to England,” said Olga.

“We had an agreement with her that this car would do good and help people. So when I decided that it should save other people’s lives I contacted Fiona and she helped me to get the car to the front.

“When I wrote to Hannah that her car is now helping to save other people’s lives, she was just very happy.”

Olga lived in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, with her family before Russia invaded in February 2022.

Her husband Alexander had to stay behind and now supports the war effort as head of the design department at a plant which produces spare parts for armoured vehicles and assembles them.

Meanwhile, Olga and her daughter Maria were taken in by the Potter family, in Ketton, in September 2022 through the Homes for Ukraine scheme before moving to Oakham to live with Carrie and David Rich for another year.

“When I arrived in England with my daughter and two suitcases, it was just shock and stress,” Olga recalled.

“Emelie and Daryl Potter and their four children are an incredibly lovely family, and Carrie and David were my heroes during a very difficult time and they know it.

“We continue to communicate and they are always in touch if I have any questions. I am grateful to these families for their warmth and support.”

Olga, who was a commercial director before the war, has a job and is also a member of the Ukrainian Rotary Impact Club which fundraises and collects equipment for the disabled in Ukraine, while Maria is continuing her studies.

Mother and daughter have both settled well, living independently in Oakham, and Olga has bought a replacement car to get her to work.

Yet the most important aspect of their lives remains back home.

“I still have my parents, brother, husband and friends in Ukraine,” she added.

“I miss them, we talk all the time.”