Scots and Ukrainians working side by side in Ayr

Scots and Ukrainians working side by side in Ayr

Doug Maclean reports –

Spending time with the Ukrainian community in Ayr brings the war into sharp focus in a way headlines never can. It stops being a distant conflict measured in maps, statistics or political statements and becomes something far more human, personal and immediate.

One of the people who brought this home to me was Anatolia Artemenko, a 79-year-old Ukrainian scientist who now lives as a refugee in Troon. Anatolia is a graduate of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute and spent more than 40 years working in the city of Kharkiv, less than 20 miles from the Russian border.

During his career he became a laboratory manager and led work on what were described as non-traditional energy sources. His achievements were formally recognised during the Soviet era, when he was awarded two medals as an Honoured Inventor for the real-world development of hydrogen accumulator technology.

Kharkiv is a city I know well and have visited many times. Before the war it was one of Ukraine’s great centres of education and learning, home to around 38 state and private universities, academies and institutes, with more than 300,000 students studying disciplines including engineering, medicine and law.

The old city centre always reminded me of central Glasgow, with three and four-storey sandstone buildings, wide streets and busy squares. Café life is taken seriously in Ukraine with baristas attending education courses and exams before they get anywhere near serving the public.

All of that changed in the early hours of 24 February 2022when Russian troops attacked and killed Ukrainian border guards. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine had started. Anatolia’s home city of Kharkiv was a key objective for the invading Russian army.

For nearly four years, missiles and drones have been fired almost daily at civilian homes and businesses. More than 2,000 homes, shops and universities have been damaged or destroyed.

For Ukrainians living in Ayrshire, the war never really switches off. Many have close family members fighting on the front line or living under constant attack in their homes and workplaces.

It is exhausting, emotionally and mentally, and yet there is a determination not to be helpless.

That is the background to what I witnessed recently in a quiet loft space in the centre of Ayr. The Ayrshire Ukrainian Community Group identified a simple but effective way to help by hand-making camouflage nets for soldiers at the front.

Anatolia, despite still being tall and fit at 79, knows his war options are limited. Instead, he and others put their energy into this work.

The group raises its own money for materials. Volunteers weave the nets by hand, carefully adjusting colours and patterns to match the changing seasons.

When I visited, they were completing their 100th net. This one was designed for winter conditions, pale and snow-coloured.

What struck me just as much as the work itself was who was in the room. Alongside retired Ukrainians were Bruce Morgan and Linda Fairlie from Galston, who volunteer a full day every week.

Neither speaks Ukrainian, yet communication was effortless as they worked side by side. There was no sense of charity or distance, just people quietly doing something useful together.

Bruce spoke about his belief that Ukraine is defending shared European values. Linda described wanting to give something back in a practical way.

It was obvious their presence meant a great deal to the Ukrainian volunteers, who expressed deep gratitude for that simple kindness.

There was another layer to this support too. Iryna Shvedova, an early-years teacher, worked with young Ukrainian children in the run-up to Christmas.

The children made handwritten cards and small gifts for soldiers they may never meet. These were wrapped up with the camouflage nets and sent directly to the front line.

This project is about far more than nets and materials. It is about solidarity, dignity and refusing to look away.

In a small loft in Ayr, people from different countries and backgrounds are quietly standing together. In its own way, that matters more than they may ever realise.