Heartwarming scenes as refugees find sanctuary

It’s well known that a picture can paint 1,000 words and the pictures of loving mums Yuliia Beresneva and Olha Sukhovii bring a message of hope amid the ravages of war.

The terrified mothers fled their homes in Ukraine to an uncertain future and have now happily settled with Hampshire host families after a two-month odyssey across Europe.

Their relief at finding sanctuary is tangible in their smiles and those of their children.

We are seeing daily new horrors unfold in their home nation, and it is wonderful to see that they, at least, have found safety.

Yuliia and Olha are the first of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees arriving into Hampshire following delays in securing visas.

Their arrival in Sarisbury Green was supported by Fareham MP and attorney general, Suella Braverman, whose team personally intervened to support their refugee bid.

Mrs Braverman was clearly emotional as she welcomed the families to Hampshire.

Embracing the two mothers, she told them: ‘You are welcome here. You are part of our family. You will have safety.

‘The whole country wants to do everything it can to support you and to help your children have a future.’

Mrs Braverman deserves congratulations for her work, but the bureaucratic delays that have hampered Ukrainian refugees finding safe refuge in Britain have put the government to shame.

It is wonderful that many Hampshire families have volunteered to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes, just as the massive outpouring of generosity has delivered so much humanitarian aid to the wartorn country.

We can only hope that the love and goodwill of the majority will one day defeat the brutality unleashed in Ukraine.