Ukrainians celebrate 75 years of life in Leicester

Leicester’s Ukrainian community painted the city blue and yellow to mark 75 years of living in the city.

Balloons and fanfare dressed Ukrainian club Leicester for a special celebration on Saturday.

After a service by a Ukrainian Catholic bishop, children from the Ukrainian School in Leicester took to the stage to perform traditional songs and dances.

Around 150 people attended the event at Westcotes.

The club’s deputy chairman, Wol Wowczuk, told the BBC: “Most of the Ukrainians in Leicester and Leicestershire came after the Second World War as refugees themselves.

“Most of them did not want to return to the Soviet Union – as it was then – for fear of their lives because they were treated as traitors, which they clearly were not.

“Many of them then settled in England and other Western European countries. Ukraine was not an independent country in those days, so they didn’t really have anything to go back to.”

Ukraine gained independence in 1991, and while it has allowed friends and families to reunite, a strong Ukrainian community remains in Leicester.

This has been inflated by an influx of refugees following the Russian invasion in 2022 and the ongoing conflict of the past two years.

Mr Wowczuk said: “We have come together as a community and it is very important to mark these anniversaries.

“We are very proud to be part of the cosmopolitan make-up of Leicester. We invite people from other communities and we are invited to them too, although it is sad in many ways that this war has raised our visibility to such an extent.

“We are very proud and honored to be part of Leicester. The people of Leicester and Leicestershire have supported us not just over the past few years, but over the past 75.”