‘It’s an extended family’: Grant Shapps and Ukrainian refugees describe living together
Grant Shapps and the Ukrainian family he took into his home 10 months ago have spoken to Sky News about the experience for the first time.
The cabinet minister, who lives with his wife and grown-up twins in his Hertfordshire constituency, joined the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which has seen British families open their doors to those fleeing the conflict.
They welcomed Snezhana Chaykina, her now seven-year-old son Nikita, and her 75-year-old mother Hanna, who left their home in Kyiv with their dog Max last year.
He said the scheme had been “overall a huge success” and a “sobering” experience, which had affected how he approached cabinet discussions on support for Ukraine.
Snezhana, an IT manager for a travel firm, left behind her husband and their new apartment to take a leap into the unknown when the Russian bombardment began.
The family crossed into Poland where they posted an advert on a Facebook group about the British scheme, which was spotted by Mr Shapps’ daughter.
Ms Chaykina’s family has been staying with Mr Shapps
They are all happily living in his home and expect to stay there for the coming months, he said.
“We had a happy life in Ukraine”, she said, until an early morning phone call from her sister in Germany last February.
“She told us there are bombs falling on Ukraine. I told her, you are kidding, it cannot be, it just sounds mad.
“Then I started to check the news and I found it. The war has begun. And of course, this forced us to leave the country.
“First, I thought that it would be for a couple of weeks, then a couple of months. Now it seems probably it might take a couple of years, I’m not sure.”
Ms Chaykina says she initially thought she would only have to leave her home for a couple of weeks
‘We’ve given your room to three Ukrainians and a dog’
Arriving last April, all three family members and the dog are sharing the old bedroom of Shapps’ eldest son, who was at university when the war broke out, and has now moved out.
“We told him we’ve given your room to three Ukrainians and a dog!”, Mr Shapps said.
Nikita attends the local school in Hatfield and can now speak and read English, while Snezhana works from home and is in regular touch with colleagues in Ukraine.
Her husband, who was given a medical discharge from the military with a leg injury, has recently travelled to Poland and hopes to reunite with his family in the UK.
She says she and Mr Shapps have “a lot in common” but that the pair do not discuss UK politics, except the Ukraine situation.
His wife Belinda had first raised the idea of taking in refugees, shortly before the conflict began.
“It’s just become completely normal, we pretty much operate as one family,” the energy secretary said, making a peanut butter sandwich for Nikita.
“We eat together, put on the dishwasher and those types of household things. It’s an extended family.”
Read more:
What has happened to refugees taken in under Homes for Ukraine scheme?
Ukrainian refugees staying in UK facing homelessness
Britain granted more than 150,000 visas under the Home for Ukraine scheme, and 218,000 in total through other schemes, including family reunion.
Host families were asked to commit to at least six months, and paid expenses at a flat rate of £350 a month.
But with no end in sight to the conflict, the latest figures show more than 4,200 Ukrainians received homelessness support from local authorities and some are sleeping rough.
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UK refugees face homelessness
Shapps hasn’t changed stance on small boat crackdown
A group of 70 cross-party MPs, including former home secretary Priti Patel, wrote to the government last week to call for more support.
In November, ONS data suggested 17% of Ukrainian adults who came on these schemes are now renting privately, while 59% were still living with a sponsor, despite most working.
Mr Shapps said: “I think we feel a lot in common with Ukrainians because we went through the Blitz and they’re going through their country being bombed, and against the odds, withstanding all that evil from Putin.
“I found it very helpful because every time we’re discussing what’s happening in Ukraine, in Cabinet, in the back of my mind or when I get home, I’m reminded about the reality of the policies and what it actually means.
“Literally in our own kitchen. I think it’s quite a salutary and sobering thing to experience government policy quite so close to home.”
But it has not changed his mind about the government’s attempts to crack down on small boats, some of them carrying people who have fled warzone.
Mr Shapps said: “My view is we can’t have a situation where there’s a way into this country by illegal means, by being people trafficked from countries which are already safe, like France.
“So it doesn’t change my view about that at all. It’s absolutely right that stopping the small boats is one of our top priorities.
“And that’s entirely different from being a country that has a big heart and always goes out of its way to help in the world.”
Other MPs who have taken in Ukrainian refugees include Conservative ministers Robert Jenrick and Victoria Prentis, Norfolk MP Duncan Baker and Middlesborough Labour MP Andy McDonald.
World
Azerbaijan Airlines plane was damaged over Russia ‘due to shooting from the ground’, says president
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed, killing 38 people, was damaged while flying over Russia “due to shooting from the ground”, the country’s president has said.
President Ilham Aliyev said he believed that the plane, which crashed around two miles from Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, was not shot down intentionally.
However, he accused some circles in Russia of wanting to cover up the truth about the nature of the crash.
The Embraer 190 passenger jet was en route from Azerbaijan‘s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it changed course.
It crashed in Kazakhstan while making an attempt to land after flying east across the Caspian Sea, killing 38 people and injuring all of the other 29 survivors.
In an interview with Azerbaijani television, Mr Aliyev said the plane was damaged “from the outside” over Russian territory and that “electronic warfare systems” put the plane “out of control”.
“At the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged,” he said.
“The fact that the fuselage is riddled with holes indicates that the theory of the plane hitting a flock of birds, which was brought up by someone, is completely removed from the agenda.”
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Video shows holes in crashed plane’s tail
He added: “Unfortunately, however, some circles in Russia preferred to put forward this theory. Another regrettable and surprising moment for us was that official Russian agencies put forward theories about the explosion of some gas cylinder on board the plane.
“In other words, this clearly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue, which, of course, is unbecoming of anyone.”
Specialists working at the crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Pic: Reuters
He said the plane was hit “by accident” and ruled out a “deliberate act of terror”.
However, he criticised Russian authorities for not taking responsibility for the crash.
“Admitting the guilt, apologising in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this – all these were measures and steps that should have been taken,” he said.
“Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for some absurd theories.”
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Video shows inside plane before crash
On Saturday, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” – but stopped short of taking responsibility.
The Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday that air defence systems were firing near Grozny because of a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these downed the plane.
According to a Kremlin readout of a call, the Russian president apologised to Mr Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace”.
The White House said early indications suggest the plane could have been brought down by Russia,
Two US military officials told Sky News’ partner network NBC News that America has intelligence indicating Russia may have misidentified the aircraft as a drone and shot it down.
In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed “physical and technical interference” and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports.
If proven, the plane crashed after being hit by Russian air defences, it would be the second deadly aviation incident linked to the Kremlin’s conflict with Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a Russian missile according to investigators, killing all 298 people aboard, in 2014.
The UK has rejected Vladimir Putin’s apology over the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash and called for an independent investigation.
The Russian president apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” – but stopped short of taking responsibility.
The Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya region, when it turned and crashed in Kazakhstan while making an attempt to land on Wednesday.
Some 38 people died in the crash, while there were 29 survivors.
The Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday that air defence systems were firing near Grozny because of a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these downed the plane.
According to a Kremlin readout of a call, the Russian president apologised to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace”.
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Video shows inside plane before crash
The UK’s Foreign Office has called for a “full and independent” investigation into the crash, adding that Mr Putin’s apology “fails to recognise that the reckless and irresponsible actions of the Russian State pose an acute and direct threat to the interests and national security of other states.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident, including the family and friends of those who have died,” a spokesperson added in a statement.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia “must provide clear explanations” and “stop spreading disinformation” in a call with Azerbaijan’s president.
“The key priority now is a thorough investigation to provide answers to all questions about what really happened,” he said in an X post.
“Photos and videos clearly show the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including punctures and dents, which strongly point to a strike by an air defence missile.”
The White House said early indications suggest the plane could have been brought down by Russia, while an Azerbaijani minister also blamed the crash on an external weapon.
Two US military officials told Sky News’ partner network NBC News that America has intelligence indicating Russia may have misidentified the aircraft as a drone and shot it down.
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Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny.
In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed “physical and technical interference” and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports.
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