British dad leaves partner ‘10 days’ after taking in Ukraine refugee
A mother-of-two says she is heartbroken after her partner of eight years ran off with the Ukrainian refugee they’d opened up their home to.
“She set her sights on Anthony from the start, decided she wanted him and she took him,” Lorna Garnett told The Sun.
“She didn’t care about the devastation that she left behind.”
The 28-year-old from West Yorkshire, England, was initially happy to help out Sofiia Karkadym, who had fled from Kyiv to Lyiv, into Poland and then eventually onto Britain.
“The situation in Ukraine is terrifying for ordinary people so I decided it was the right thing to do, to put a roof over someone’s head and help them when they were in desperate need,” she said.
“I had my reservations at first about taking a refugee into our home, who wouldn’t? That’s a major decision to take and, though I was unsure, he [Tony] wanted to do it.”
“And this is how Sofiia repaid me for giving her a home.”
Lorna’s husband Tony, a security guard in Bradford, was introduced to Sofiia, 22, on Facebook and offered to become her UK sponsor.
Sofiia was offered a visa at the beginning of May and flew to Manchester airport before moving in with the couple and their two daughters.
But within days Lorna’s suspicions began to grow.
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“She [Sofiia] would stay in bed until 11.30am or 12 noon and when she got up she was very difficult to converse with. Her English was pretty good, so it wasn’t a language barrier. She just wasn’t interested in spending time with me.
“During the day she wore no make-up, didn’t do her hair and made no effort with her appearance. But that changed after 5pm when Tony was due to come home.
“Suddenly she’d come downstairs in red lippy, hair done and a low-cut top,” she told The Sun Newspaper.
“I’d started to feel like the third wheel as they sat on the sofa laughing and joking while I was ignored. I suddenly felt unwelcome in my own home.”
When tensions hit breaking point, Lorna quickly told Sofiia, an IT manager, to move out.
But she was left devastated when Tony, who she had been with since 2014, packed his bags and left too.
“I just don’t understand how he could throw all that away for a woman he’s known for a fortnight.”
“Until she arrived, we were a normal happy family ... The life I knew is shattered.”
"We clicked right from the start."
Tony, who moved into his mum’s house with Sofiia, said he fell head over heels in love with the Ukrainian and wanted to build a new life with her.
“We’re sorry for the pain we’ve caused but I’ve discovered a connection with Sofiia like I’ve never had before,” the 29-year-old said.
“We clicked right from the start.”
Since their story went viral, Tony and Sofiia have reportedly been kicked out of his parents house.
Refugee crisis continues to grow as Ukrainians flee war torn country
It’s believed more than 14 million people have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
About six million have left for neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations, while eight million people are displaced inside Ukraine.
Almost 54,000 refugees have arrived in the UK under the Ukraine visa scheme.
Russia claims biggest victory as Mariupol falls
The Russian Government claims it has captured Mariupiol after a nearly three-month siege that has left the port city in ruins.
The Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, reported a ‘complete liberation’ of the Azovstal steel plant in what was the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance.
More than 20,000 civilians are feared to have died during the battle for control.
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