Two Ukrainian women have told of the horrors of the invasion they fled and their life now in Kent.

Olga Gosal and Olesia Kachan have spoken out a year after Russian forces poured into their country.

A national silence will be held at 11am today to mark the anniversary and to reaffirm the UK’s support for the people of Ukraine.

Ms Kachan, who is 39 and now staying in Dover district, was in an underground bunker in her country for two weeks after her house in Mariupol was destroyed by President Vladimir Putin's invaders.

"When we left Mariupol my son couldn’t sleep and he would cry – he was very scared," she said.

“I was pleased when we found out we could come to England and found a host in St Margaret’s. We arrived in June and they have been very helpful and welcoming.”

Ms Kachan, an accountant, fled her country last March with her husband and two young children, aged nine and three.

Her mother and step-father and her husband’s parents were able to find hosts nearby, too, so they were able to come together.

Ms Kachan's husband, a doctor in Ukraine, was given permission by his government to leave due to back problems.

But the family is still worried about other male relatives left behind as most men up to the age of 60 have to stay on to fight off the enemy.

Ms Kachan and her family stayed with their hosts for six months but have recently moved into a hotel ahead of taking on rented accommodation in Folkestone.

She said: “Our hosts have been full of happiness to have us here; they are very kind people.

“Now we have found a home in Folkestone they are finding lots of furniture for us and still helping to make sure we are OK.

“Dover District Council has been helpful too, making sure we have support and helping us access what we need.

“I'm hoping to start volunteering soon as I want to start working and to give something back.”

Ms Kachan says the community has been welcoming and that her son has made friends at school and is excelling in piano.

'My mum and dad are still out there, I am worried for them...'

“We like Dover very much and are very grateful to the community," she added.

Olga Gosal, 37, arrived in the UK from from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine last April with her 13-year-old son.

They had witnessed bombing, shelling and shooting before they fled.

“We are being hosted by an English family who are being incredibly nice to us and have done everything to make us comfortable," Ms Gosal said.

“My mum and my dad are still out there there, due to taking care of an elderly relative, and so is my sister, her husband and their daughter, so I am very worried for them.”

'Our host has been incredibly helpful and patient...'

In December figures showed there were 2,086 Ukrainians in Kent in sponsorship agreements across 992 households.

Ms Gosal applied through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and a host was soon found in Dover. She arrived five weeks later after travelling through Europe by train.

“Everything has been very good here, we enjoy Dover and the host has been incredibly helpful and patient, and helped with our English," she said.

“Our host family is a mother and father and two children - the son is 18, the daughter is 16. My son has got really attached to the hosts’ kids and he has a strong emotional bond with them.”

Ms Gosal has a job and is focusing on improving her English through local courses.

“Without knowing English well it’s quite hard to find the right answers to things, but Dover District Council has been very helpful with this," she said.

“We’ve received a lot of support and overall people in Dover have been very welcoming, so we’ve enjoyed everything so far.

“I’m planning to stay here until the war finishes so that my child is safe.”