17-year-old Ukrainian violinist stuck in war zone waiting for UK child visa

Seventeen-year-old Anastasiia was due to leave her home in war-torn southeast Ukraine thanks to Britain’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. The talented violinist was set to join a musical family in Hertfordshire, until changes in the policy trapped her in the Russian-occupied region. She has now been waiting for three months for a British visa.

‘There are so many bombs and rockets and buildings on fire now,’ Anastasiia told The Guardian (her surname isn’t being made public for security reasons). ‘They are fighting every day. I can go out but it is also very dangerous.’

Since her application, the government has altered the terms of its refugee scheme. After an initial amendment that children had to travel with parents and guardians, an exception for existing applicants was made. However, in June it transpired that the children need to have known their hosts before the war broke out to be eligible. Around 1,000 children travelling alone had applied to the UK before the rule change.

‘Just leaving her in this situation is horrible,’ said Sally Belsham, who had been hoping to welcome Anastasiia into her home to join her three own musical teenagers. ‘It’s really inhuman. I understand the need for safeguarding, but you cannot have a system that leaves people in limbo like this.’

Anastasiia has ‘dreamed of being in a big orchestra’ since she was young, but doesn’t see a future in Zaporizhzhia, which has seen ‘massive destruction’. Her family has four adopted children with health needs and cannot leave the country. In the past few days, citizens in the region have been urged to evacuate as the Ukrainian army seeks to recapture the Russian-occupied territory.

The teenager’s previous life, which included going to a music school and five or six hours of practice a day, is a distant memory. ‘I thought it would be great to practise in the basement but the kids have lots of energy and I always need to help my parents,’ she told The Guardian.

She is among a number of musicians who are being helped to come to the UK. The music trade body, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is coordinating efforts to support Ukrainian musicians, and its scheme with the London Performing Academy of Music (LPMAM) has already successfully found places for several refugees. It knows of 16 Ukrainian music students currently looking for UK homes, but with the exception of an accompanied 17 year-old, all are over 18.