A Ukrainian woman claims that after losing her soldier brother in battle, she believes it is her life's purpose to aid people from her own nation.
Before learning that Ivan, 31, had passed away, Antonina had spent weeks trying to find him.
She thinks he might have been taken hostage and tortured, but she cannot be certain of it.
She is working in a refugee center in Shropshire, helping others from her community, despite her grief. .
In her explanation, Antonina—a Ukrainian economist—said she had been close to her brother, a carpenter who worked close to Kyiv.
"He was very helpful, and everyone knew him. The 28-year-old said, "He was my best friend and the godfather of my son.
Ivan was drafted into service when the war started. At first, he spoke on the phone frequently with family members who were still in Ukraine and Antonina, who had relocated to Shrewsbury, Shropshire, with her husband and son.
But after that, she claimed, he was transferred to an undisclosed "hotspot.".
He was forbidden from speaking in any way. Consequently, I would merely ask him how he was doing, to which he would reply, "I'm fine, I'm OK, we have everything, don't worry.". ".
However, he started to vanish for several days at a time before his family lost track of him in October.
"I then received a message from my mother. "He was reported missing, and the police came to my her house and told me that," Antonina said.
"We were shocked, but you still have hope when you don't know whether he's dead or being held as a hostage somewhere," said the woman. ".
After several weeks of searching, Antonina claimed to have located an image of Ivan on a Russian website while she and her family were looking for missing Ukrainians on social media.
His dead body was depicted in a horrible photo. Due to my ability to recognize people I've known my entire life, I was able to identify him. We were very close, so everything is still fresh in my mind. ".
She stated that his official documents were found next to his body, and she worried that only he could have revealed the biographical information that was posted on the site.
"I came to the conclusion he was most likely still alive. to tell all of that, and it's clear that they tortured him to death because he was dead. ".
Since then, Antonina has been one of seven Ukrainians employed by the nonprofit organization Shropshire Supports Refugees, which got in touch with her after she assisted with translation for others at the hub.
"You have the impression that you are making a significant contribution, not only to yourself but also to others. And that gives you the impression that you've done something, she continued.
About 600 Ukrainian refugees have received aid from the Shrewsbury center since the war started, and Amanda Jones, the center's chief executive, praised Antonina for her courage.
She remarked that Antonina was incredibly resilient given the trauma she was presently experiencing.
Antonina stated that as the first anniversary of the war drew near, she had made an effort to cope by being kind to others, but she was fervently hoping that the war would end.
I find it hard to believe that a year has passed. It's been so long since I've been at home. She continued, "I haven't seen my family.
"I wasn't even able to attend my brother's funeral in person, but I was present virtually. Seeing my mother was extremely difficult.
. "
