From living in a Ukrainian shelter to a new life
Olena Mikheionok, who is now settled in Devon, talks about fleeing the war with her son.
From a Ukrainian shelter to a fresh start
Olena Mikheionok fled the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine in July 2025 with her son Mikita.
"Thanks to this family, we have everything we need here; kind words and sometimes kind hugs."
Olena Mikheionok, 41, left the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine in July 2025 with her now three-year-old son Mikita.
The flat she shared with her son and her father was destroyed by a bomb, and she had been staying in shelters before moving in with her sister and her family in a small two-bedroom apartment.
It was then that Mikheionok decided to leave Ukraine with help from the charity Refugees at Home.
The apartment Olena lived in with her son and her father was destroyed by a bomb
The charity put her in touch with the Browning family, who offered her and her son a room in their home in Exeter, Devon.
Mikheionok then travelled a long way to reach the UK.
Amanda Browning said: "When she arrived, she was clearly shocked and tired as it had been a really long journey.
"But what was really clear straight away was her positivity - her excitement of being here shone through the exhaustion.".
The past is too painful and raw for Mikheionok to discuss, but she said people in England could not have been more welcoming.
Olena Mikheionok lived in shelters for a while
"When people open the door, sometimes they don't understand how important it is that they are helping."
"I don't have my home anymore. We need to create the best life here and I am trying to do everything I can to integrate and adapt to go to work and create our life again and feel my feet on the ground."
Olena (right) and her son are the second Ukrainian guests Amanda Browning (left) and her children have had staying with them in recent years
Mikheionok and her son are the second Ukrainian guests Browning and her children have hosted in recent years.
Browning said: "For us as a family, it has brought us closer. It's made us think about others and made us reflect on our own privilege, which has been helpful in raising children for them to find some appreciation in what they have."
Amanda's children, Blythe, 18, and Shaw, 20, said they have both seen Mikheionok and her son become more and more comfortable since they arrived.
Amanda Browning's children, Blythe, 18, and Shaw, 20, said they have both seen Olena and her son become more comfortable since they have been here.
"It's nice to give someone the comfort to enable them to feel safe," said Blythe Browning.
Shaw Browning added: "There's only just been the three of us here since I can remember, but it's been lovely and, over the last year or so, you can see Mik has really changed.
"He's a completely different kid now - there's never not a smile on his face."
Mikita Mikheionok is settled in a nursery and his mother, who used to work in sales in Ukraine, is learning English at college.
Refugees at Home has placed has placed 7,895 people in homes nationwide since 2016.
Chief operating officer Carly Whyborn said: "By opening their homes, our hosts in the South West and beyond, are helping to provide a safe, welcoming space for refugees and people seeking asylum.
"Our guests have come from more than 100 countries to date, and arrive in the UK fleeing war, violence, and persecution.
"Over the last 10 years, we've seen countless guests go on to study, find jobs, and start families – aided in no small part by the stability that comes from having a roof over their head provided by the extraordinary people who provide their spare rooms across the UK."