Ukrainian refugee arrives at his grandparents' home

A couple whose Ukrainian grandson has joined them in their UK home have spoken of their relief that he is safe.

Stewart Rood and his wife Svetlana, who live in Cheltenham, faced an anxious wait for Misha, nine, to make it to England from his home city of Kyiv.

Mrs Rood travelled to Romania to meet him at the Ukrainian border and - despite delays over his visa - he is now living in Cheltenham with them.

It is hoped Misha's parents and younger sister can eventually join him.

Misha's parents both work in humanitarian aid and are not yet able to leave the country.

Mr Rood said Misha had been living in Kyiv when the Russian invasion began.

"He was in the centre of Kyiv, so he was seeing the flashes and hearing the noises.

"His bed was moved into the hallway because he was screaming and he took to sleeping under the bed," he said.

Mr Rood added that it was "lovely" to have Misha with them.

"It gives me the chance to be a dad again. I've got lots of spare time and I want to spend that time with my grandson," he said.

Mrs Rood said: "When the war started I lost the purpose of my life, definitely. I was so stressed and depressed - I did not know what to do.

"Now I know what life is for - you can see I am smiling. I'm so happy."

She described the arrival of Misha in Cheltenham as "a little victory".

He told his grandparents he would like to "play football and play the guitar" with his grandfather.

"He said he is very happy to be with Grandma and Grandpa, but he misses his family very much," said Mrs Rood.

She added that during their time in Romania, Misha had been afraid of loud noises, thinking they were Russian aircraft.

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