Prominent refugee loses inspirational figure who was killed defending Ukraine

Martin Shipton

A prominent Ukrainian refugee in Wales has written movingly about her distress at the death of a person close to her who has been killed defending the country against the Russian invasion.

Yuliia Bond has lived in Caerphilly since 2022, where she has led successful moves to integrate refugees from Ukraine into the local community.

During the recent Caerphilly by-election campaign, she defended the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary programme against attacks from Reform UK, which sought to make it a major issue. Some 91% of the £55m spent on the scheme over six years has gone towards resettling refugees from Ukraine. The amount represents less than 0.05% of the Welsh Government’s budget over the period.

Writing on Facebook, Ms Bond stated: “Yesterday, someone who was one of the most important people in my life - someone whose presence held parts of me together - was killed defending Ukraine.

“I can’t find a single word that explains what they were to me. They were a constant in my life, a person I leaned on without even noticing I was leaning. And now they are gone, and I feel like a piece of the world has been ripped out.

“The shock keeps looping.

“I forget they are gone for a second, and then the truth hits again so hard it feels physical. I keep hearing their voice in my head. I keep reaching for my phone. I keep breaking and breaking and breaking.

“And while I’m here in Wales trying to survive this grief, I’m seeing headlines and statements that make everything hurt in a deeper way.

“It has been publicly reported - confirmed in court - that Nathan Gill, former Welsh leader of Reform UK Wales, pleaded guilty to eight counts of accepting money from Russia to ask “friendly” questions in the European Parliament.

“Eight counts. It is impossible to describe what it feels like to read that after losing someone to a war funded by those same hands.

“Mick Antoniw MS has spoken publicly about this, calling it only ‘the tip of the iceberg.’ I will put his video statement in the comments. I don’t have the strength to repeat his words here - not today.

“There will also be a protest at the Old Bailey on Friday November 21 at 8:30am, organised by Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign for Ukraine, and Vsesvit Ukraine solidarity collective.

“I’m not telling anyone what to do. I’m just stating this fact because it is part of what is happening around this moment.

“I will attach an old video with Kremlin narratives as well - something from the early days of the invasion. It’s just something that resurfaced today while I’m grieving, and seeing it now, knowing what has happened in my life, felt like being torn open a second time.

“But what hurts most - more than anything political, more than any video, more than any headline - is the person I lost.

“They weren’t a statistic. They weren’t a symbol. They were warm. They were funny. They were stubborn. They were alive. They were someone whose presence could change my whole day without even trying.

“And now, because of this war, because of the world we are living in, because of forces so much bigger than any of us, they are gone.

“I don’t know how to move through the next hour, let alone the next year.

“I don’t know how to live in a world where someone that central to my life is suddenly no longer here. Grief this big is like drowning in open air.

“It is anger, and emptiness, and disbelief, and love that has nowhere to go. I’m writing because I cannot stay silent with all this pain inside me. I’m writing because someone I cared about deeply can’t speak anymore.”

Nigel Farage

Ms Bond shared a video that accused Nigel Farage of seeking to undermine Ukraine’s defence of its territory against the Russian invaders. In a series of clips the Reform UK leader states: “For Putin, this is now an existential war. He is not going to give up any time soon. I feel the war is a complete stalemate. There have been no sensible, substantive negotiations of any kind.

“Donetsk and Luhansk are overwhelmingly Russian speakers. If we held a referendum in those provinces and asked people would they be part of Ukraine or part of Russia, they would say Russia.”

Captions on the video state: “Russian disinformation wants to weaken Ukraine’s support. Farage is helping undermine confidence Ukraine can win the war, but Ukraine proved it can liberate territory with enough support. Farage’s friend Trump and Europe’s far right have helped Putin by blocking aid to Ukraine. Farage echoes Russian lies to justify occupation of Ukrainian territory.

“Fact: in 1991 these regions [Donetsk and Luhansk] voted for an independent Ukraine. Luhansk region voted 68% Yes to independence. Donetsk region 64% voted Yes to independence.”

Against the background of a picture of Farage and Trump together smiling, the final caption states: “Don’t let the new fascism undermine support for Ukraine.”

Old Bailey

Meanwhile on Tuesday November 18, Pontypridd Labour MS Mick Antoniw asked the Welsh Government’s Trefnydd (Business Manager) Jane Hutt: “On Friday of this week, a former member of this Senedd, Mr Nathan Gill, a former leader in Wales of Reform, will be sentenced in the Old Bailey for accepting Russian bribes. He has pleaded guilty to all eight charges. I'll be attending the sentencing hearing.

“In the damning 2020 'Russia' report of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, it was clear that the last UK Government made no attempt to either see or seek evidence of interference in UK democratic processes. There are clearly many unanswered questions. Will the Welsh Government make a statement on any contacts they've had with the UK Government or security services regarding the activities and role that Mr Gill may have played whilst a Member of this Parliament and in receipt of public money?”

Ms Hutt responded: “There haven't been any discussions with the UK Government on this particular matter, but it is a very concerning case, so thank you for drawing this to the attention of the Senedd.

“The case is centred on criminal infringements relating to political conduct and breaches of electoral or financial regulations, and raises significant concerns about transparency and integrity in public life. The case is an example of the importance of robust safeguards and scrutiny to uphold the standards that underpin our democratic process in Wales and the rest of the UK.

“The Electoral Commission's got a key role to play here, and we're committed, of course, to the commission's independence, working in partnership with it to protect the integrity of our elections and democratic institutions.

“The Welsh Government doesn't comment on the work of the UK security services, but works closely with the UK Government and a range of partners to help ensure the integrity of Wales's democratic institutions and processes, defend against interference, and ensure all threats to Wales are understood and communicated appropriately.”