Ukrainians in Manchester reflect on two years of war

Each Saturday in Manchester city centre, a group of Ukrainians gather to raise awareness of the ongoing war.

They've met at Piccadilly Gardens each weekend since February 2022, when Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country.

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.

READ MORE: How caring Mancunians have wrapped their arms around war-hit Ukraine

This Saturday marks the two-year anniversary since the full-scale war started. Ukrainians in the region have reflected on how their lives have changed so far.

Philip Dovgopol, 32, is from Kharkiv, a Ukrainian city close to the border with Russia.

He moved to Edinburgh in 2014 - the same year when Russia invaded Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine - and later relocated to Manchester for work.

He lives in New Islington and has worked with charities such as Citizens Advice and Europia - an organisation supporting central and eastern Europeans in Greater Manchester.

He's known the city for a long time already, but said the best of Manchester's spirit was on show when the full-scale war in Ukraine started in February 2022.

He said: "There's a very strong sense of community here. It showed when the war started, I remember at the Ukrainian centre in Manchester, we were getting a lot of help from people who were delivering goods to be sent to Ukraine.

"I realised how much people care about people who live in Manchester, that's why I decided to find work where I could give back to the community here."

While in Manchester, Philip has helped Ukrainians through weekly drop-in advice sessions at the Central Library.

Refugees arriving in the city came along to those events