From London to Kyiv, woman drives to Ukraine to reunite with partner; here's what followed

A Ukrainian woman embarked on a journey from London to Ukraine to meet her boyfriend after four long months. Thirty-two-year-old Julia Drozdova escaped her homeland after the Russian invasion and decided to begin a new life in London with the help of Lewisham Council and the Government's Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Drozdova decided to drive back to war-hit Ukraine in a Land Rover Discovery to reunite with her partner Sergei. During the journey, the Ukrainian woman distributed several food items, clothes, and sleeping bags to people impacted by the war, and also gave her car keys to Ukrainian forces who could use the vehicle for defence purposes.

According to a report by My London, Drozdova was horrified after she witnessed the condition of Kyiv, one of the Ukrainian cities that was bombarded by Russian missile strikes. "I am in Kyiv right now and witnessing all the explosions. [It is] like February 24 when I woke up because of them... So far it feels much worse than February 24,” she said. 

Julia Drozdova talks about Russia's recent missile strikes on Ukraine

Drozdova and her boyfriend were relishing a warm beverage in bed when the missiles rattled the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on October 10. "It's a kind of fear you can't control. You can't see where the missiles land, but you can hear,” she said while describing the missile attacks. 

She further talked about her experience of reuniting with Sergei, who is one of the thousands of Ukrainian men who were denied of fleeing the country and asked to help Ukrainian troops. "It was weird. We have lost so much time and we have both changed so much, we have changed a lot,” Drozdova said, adding that her partner “has been through so much being in a war zone, and I am changed being a refugee. We were trying to find a way to connect again."