A Ukrainian mum has been sent chilling texts from friends stuck in the war-torn country, telling her children are becoming Russia’s main target as they are “dying from dehydration and starvation” – and is urging the UK to send food and water.
Yulia Thomson, 55, who now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, has been in constant contact with her friends and cousins who are currently seeking shelter in their basements.
Just last week, the mum-of-one, who is in a WhatsApp group with friends and family trapped in Ukraine, was sent a text informing her that children are dying of dehydration and starvation due to the lack of supplies.
In another chilling message, distraught friends told her Russian soldiers are allegedly targeting babies and the elderly as they travel across the country.
Family members and friends have also shared heartbreaking photos of themselves sleeping in cramped rooms with thick coats and wrapping up in blankets to keep warm as the war rages on.
Yulia’s pleas for help were taken up by her employers, Parsley Box, who secured space on an aid flight to provide thousands of meals to refugees on the borders of Ukraine.
The company and Yulia are now urging anyone who can help to do so now before it’s too late.
The harrowing accounts come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the House of Commons that children were targets for Russian soldiers in his video-link speech last week.
Several maternity hospitals have also been bombed by Russia during the conflict.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Yulia, who herself left Ukraine for the UK in the early 1990s, told Jam Press.
“Women, children and the elderly are desperately trying to make their way across the county for their own safety.
“The other day my friend said Russian soldiers shot dead a group.
“They shot at a newborn baby who had already lost his parents in this war.
“If they are not being shot at, they are dying due to dehydration.
“Any supplies are a godsend – that’s why I got involved with Parsley.
“People need to know what is going on.”
So far, the Edinburgh-based food company has sent out 3,000 meals to Ukraine, offering microwavable meals at a time where hot meals are sparse.
Yulia, who has a degree in Russian literature and language, added: “It’s [Russia is] a country with a very rich culture.
“But what the Russian soldiers are doing is horrifying.”
Parsley Box’s managing director, Simon Russell, said it is hoped more aid will be sent over soon.
Customers have been pledging meals – some up to 100 at a time – through their order hotline and the company has matched every donation.
“It is such a harrowing situation and even more so when we work with someone who is so very close to the terrible conditions,” he told Jam Press.
“We want to do what we can to help and our meals, because they are ambient, don’t need to be chilled or frozen.
It gives the refugees an opportunity to get a hot and nutritious meal as most of the camps have microwaves.”
