Red tape sends Alika, 4, back into Ukraine war
No10 slammed after girl denied visa with granny
A LITTLE girl has been sent back to war-torn Ukraine from Poland after failing to secure a UK visa.
Alika Zubets, four, was classed as an unaccompanied minor as she was travelling with her grandmother Tanya.
The 58-year-old had been granted a visa and hoped to bring Alika to the UK.
But the child has now gone back to her home in Kharkiv, where Russians continue to shell, including market buildings destroyed on Monday.
Dr Maggie Babb, 53, from Audley, Staffs, had sponsored the pair to come to the UK.
She said the Government “will have blood on its hands” if anything happens to her”.
The paediatric anaesthetist at the Royal Stoke University Hospital added: “It’s beyond disgusting.” Alika’s parents Dima and Arena gave written consent for their girl to leave with Tanya on March 24 and the pair headed to Poland.
Tanya is only a temporary legal guardian and Alika was unable to get a visa under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Official guidance states: “Unaccompanied children and orphans are not eligible.” Alika’s parents stayed in Kharkiv, 25 miles from Russia, as Dima is unable to leave and Arena cares for her disabled mother.
Tanya is set to travel to the UK this week.
Her cousin Oksana lives in Newcastleunder-Lyme, Staffs, with her husband Karl Stubbs, 63. Karl, chair of the local branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, said: “I feel so guilty and ashamed about this situation.” A Government spokesman said eligibility for Homes for Ukraine is kept under review. They added: “We have a responsibility to keep the children we welcome to the UK safe. It is tragic children have been caught up in Putin’s war.”
It is understood the guidelines were put in place to prevent children being trafficked from Ukraine.
The Government will have blood on its hands if anything happens to her. It’s disgusting
DR MAGGIE BABB WHO HAD SPONSORED ALIKA AND GRAN TANYA