Maxim and Olga Hyryk fled Kyiv with their five young children and two mothers after Russia invaded their country on February 24. After an arduous nine-day journey through air raids to reach the Polish border and more than two months moving between refugee shelters, the family finally arrived in Britain in May and settled into life in a two-bedroom bungalow in Fareham, Hampshire, via of the government program Homes for Ukraine. They enrolled their two older children in a local school after their hosts initially told them they could stay for six months – but just weeks after moving in they received a letter telling them they had to vacate the property by July 15. The parents, both 36, launched an online appeal in a desperate bid to raise enough money for a deposit and 12 months’ rent to secure a new home. But despite raising over £20,000 thanks to hundreds of generous people, the family have been turned down by landlords at least 15 times. Speaking to The Independent, Mr Hyryk revealed that he and his wife were preparing for the moment when someone would appear at the door and tell them to leave. He said: “We have a problem and money does not solve the problem. We didn’t expect it to be a big problem because in Ukraine when you have money you can rent any house you want. “We didn’t expect that here, even with money and even when we make the offers to agencies or landlords to pay 12 months’ rent in advance plus guarantors who wouldn’t want us.” Mr Hyryk and his wife live in the two-bedroom bungalow with seven-year-old twins Maxim and David, two-year-old twins Amiran and Tamerlan, one-year-old daughter Nikol and mothers Anna, 70, and Olena, 60. Ms Hyryk said one of her young children has autism and her 70-year-old mother has dementia and needs 24-hour care (Olga Hyryk) Both Amiran, who has autism, and Anna, who has dementia and other medical problems, require 24-hour care. Mr Hyryk, a trained barrister who has worked on high-profile court cases in his home country, said he understood why the owners were reluctant to take on such a large family when he had not yet secured work in the UK – but the family’s situation became increasingly desperate. “I understand why a large family with children is not very good for the owners, but the problem is not solved,” he said. “We have applied for more than 15 houses. They won’t say the reasons why they don’t accept us, they just say “Sorry but the owner chose someone else”. He added: “We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, not even today. “When you don’t know what will happen tomorrow it is very difficult. Olga and Maxim Hyryk say they ‘just want to live a normal peaceful life’ after leaving home (Olga Hyryk) “It’s like in Ukraine. in Ukraine you don’t know where the next rocket will land – but here you don’t know what will happen next if someone comes to your door and says “Hi we’re from court and you have to leave”. . “We’re probably waiting for court.” The father said he did not know how much longer the family could stay in their current home since the July 15 deadline passed – but they now have a team of four lawyers fighting to “buy more time”. After reading about the family’s plight in The Independent last month, Stephenson Law’s Will Foulkes initially visited the fundraising page to donate to the cause. But after receiving further updates on their ongoing struggle to find a new home, she decided to get in touch and offer to help them pro bono. The lawyer, who is based in Bath, told the Independent: “I saw the JustGiving page and initially I gave them some money because I was horrified by how awful it was. Maxim and Olga Hyryk have enrolled their two older children at school in Fareham and hope two of their other children will soon start pre-school (Olga Hyryk) “I left it at that, but then I got the updates and saw one saying that even though we’ve exceeded our target we’re still stuck and it looks like we’re going to be kicked out on Friday and I thought I might.” Don’t imagine the stress of what that would be like so I thought I’d reach out and see if there was anything I could do to help, just on the legal front first of all to see what their rights are. “Almost as soon as I spoke to Maxim and heard first-hand what had happened, I was very shocked and wanted to see if there was a legal argument to defend the eviction – and there is. “We are taking legal action to defend them on the grounds that they have a six month fixed term lease. Maxim and Olga Hyryk, 36, avoided airstrikes as they made the nine-day journey through Ukraine to the Polish border with their five children and two mothers (Olga Hyryk) “It’s a very vulnerable family because they have five children and Maxim’s mother has Alzheimer’s, so it’s very difficult to split them into two homes.” Mr Foulkes said Hyryk was “still doing everything in his power” to leave the home because he knew his family was no longer wanted there. He hopes the situation can be resolved soon and has enlisted the help of litigator James Tithecott, a barrister and High Court enforcement officer. The lawyer said that securing a job for Mr Hyryk would be “massive” because it could resolve the issue of having to show the owners proof of income and three months’ salary slips. He added that Mr Hyryk had an “impressive background” having worked for the police in Ukraine and several high-profile cybercrime court cases. “I think we can work this out,” he said. “But we need a friendly owner who is willing to help and work.” The Independent has contacted Hampshire County Council for comment.
