Our Refugee Week 2026: Ellie’s Story

At TFSW courage means facing trauma together. Something I’ve seen this week outside of the therapy room.  

Our local Welcome Hub screened Mstyslav Chernov's 2000m to Andriivka. It is a harrowing portrait of Ukrainian soldiers, stitched together using bodycam footage, interviews and direct reporting from the frontline.

A large proportion of the displaced people living in my town were forced to flee their homes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This conflict now outlasts the First World War, and as the world's attention shifts to new crises, our Ukrainian neighbours spoke of feeling forgotten; their collective experiences playing out unseen.

In his interview with the Ukrainian Institute of London, Chernov reflects on how war prohibits soldiers’ recall of vast swathes of their experience. The film creates a kind of archive for both the young battalion and their families: "We approached it as human memory, not just an assembly of shots".

Our local screening was an opportunity for solidarity, witnessing the reality of the Ukraine War as neighbours together.

Such moments come packed with complexity. As I left the screening, I felt the physical impacts of watching the film. A zingy-ness in my body and a sense of overwhelm.

I was reminded of something Katherine, our Clinical Director, recently said about being trauma-informed. It is a continual work in progress. We always work with the risks of re-traumatisation and vicarious trauma. It is a very difficult balancing act to create safety while facing trauma courageously, and we won’t always get it right. But with open dialogue and compassion, we continue to do the best we can to support one another.