Saturday 24 February marked two years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

During that time, the number of Ukrainians in Greater Manchester has grown, with refugees risking long and tiring journeys to get away from the fighting.

Maria Romanenko, 31, is a Ukrainian journalist from Kyiv who moved to Manchester with her partner Jez from Kyiv when the full-scale war started.

They faced a 40-hour journey to the border and a four-day wait before they arrived.

She lives in Stockport now and has used her time in the UK to support Ukrainian causes and raise awareness of what is happening back home.

One of her projects has been leading free walking tours of Manchester for Ukrainian arrivals.

Maria has been leading free tours of Manchester for Ukrainian arrivals (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Maria said: "Through the tours I've drilled the history of Manchester into my head, even some things locals don't know about how important it is in world history.

"It's a very important city, it's very friendly and people have been so welcoming to me when I just arrived. I was one of the first Ukrainian war refugees and everyone was going out of their way to help.

"People kept bringing cakes and flowers to our house, they wanted to show their support for Ukraine through me. I realise this is my temporary home because I have a Mancunian partner and I expect to go back to Ukraine, and I can't wait for Ukraine to win so I can do that."

Maria has been widely recognised for her work, and has been awarded a Point of Light Award with personal recognition from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Asked what February 24 means for her, she said it was difficult to put her feelings into words.

"It's very sad, it's not something I expected to happen. But on the other hand, the fact that we are still fighting and resisting, and everyday defending our land against the second biggest army in the world, is obviously a good thing.

"Ukrainians are still carrying on, despite all the physical and mental challenges. That speaks a lot about Ukraine as a nation and about our identity and culture."

~

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter