After finding sanctuary in the UK following the Russian invasion of her country, Ukrainian vet Tetiana Khramova has just celebrated becoming a fully qualified MRCVS.
She is working at Chantry Vets as a senior vet in their main hospital in Wakefield and branch surgery in Castleford after the practice offered her the opportunity to restart her veterinary career in the UK.
Tetiana’s journey to becoming a vet is a story of true resilience, determination and strength of human spirit.
Here, she reveals the bittersweet experience of achieving her dream of becoming a vet in the UK….
WHEN Russian bombs began falling on Ukraine, vet Tetiana Khramova was among the thousands forced to flee the besieged country.
Tetiana had just finished a 24-hour stint in a practice in the capital of Kyiv when gunfire and bombs rang out across Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
Tetiana can still recall the shock and terror of Russian forces advancing on Kyiv in their brutal and unprovoked war of aggression.
“Russian troops had been massing around the border with Ukraine since autumn 2021, but we never thought there would be a full-scale war in the 21st century,” she said.
“I wasn’t prepared for the invasion. Most Ukrainians didn’t believe it could happen, so we just continued living our normal lives and didn’t have any escape plans or emergency suitcases. It was a complete shock despite all the talk and rumours.
“I was sitting on a ward in the veterinary hospital at 4am checking social media and people were saying they had heard shooting and that war had started.
“I made sure my patient was stable and said goodbye to the owners of the practice and I have never seen them since.”
As the Russian attack began with missile strikes across the country, ground troops then began to advance on the suburbs of Kyiv.
Tetiana was among 15,000 people forced to hide in a subway for shelter with her 70-year-old mother Liudmila and her dog Basia for several days, before they joined the many thousands crossing the border into neighbouring Romania to escape the fighting.
“We hid in the basement of a block of flats and in an underpass and during that time I received messages from friends in different European countries to say we could go there,” said Tetiana.
“A friend drove my mum and I to the railway station even though it was extremely dangerous. It was a nightmare, with thousands of people trying to board overcrowded trains. We managed to get a train to the Romanian border with me carrying my dog either in my arms or in a small backpack as she had had two spinal operations and couldn’t walk far. My mum was carrying a small bag with a few basic things.
A difficult and traumatic situation
“We were met there and managed to make it to Bucharest. I was running on adrenaline. You need to make quick decisions in a really difficult, traumatic situation. I was so shocked, I could barely eat or sleep. I was stressed and nervous, while my mum was refusing to go to Romania and needed to be persuaded, and my dog was crying on the packed train. I don’t know where the inner strength came from to escape.”
Eventually, through the UK Government’s Home for Ukraine scheme, Tetiana and her mother were offered a safe haven here in 2022.
Vet Sebastian Nogas, who previously worked at Chantry Vets in Wakefield and who she met through the BSAVA International Scholarship in 2019, connected her with vet Birgit Nordmann, who was working at the practice.
Chantry Vets provided her with a flat and an opportunity to work as a veterinary care assistant as her Ukrainian degree was not recognised in the UK, while she worked towards her goal of practising as a vet in the UK.
“The dream of becoming a vet in the UK and the anger I felt inside of me kept me going,” she said.
“I was determined not to allow the Russians to destroy everything in my life. They want to defeat the Ukrainian people, and I am determined they are not going to do that to me.”
Tetiana went through the length practice of qualifying to practice in the UK. She had to sit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam and registered with the RCVS to see practice at equine and farm practices.
She passed her exams to become a fully qualified MRCVS and is working at Chantry Vets as a senior vet in their main hospital in Wakefield and branch surgery in Castleford.
After fulfilling her dream to become a vet in the UK, Tetiana admits it is a bittersweet success given the deadly situation back home in Ukraine. Homesick for her country, her mother returned to Ukraine.
“I am extremely grateful to Chantry Vets for offering me the opportunity to continue my career as a vet and for all their help and support,” said Tetiana.
“I am in a very supportive and welcoming environment with a great team.
“It is heartbreaking to see what is happening back home. Kyiv is under attack from missiles every day and the Russians bombed the children’s hospital where I was born. It is hard to watch what’s happening and what may happen in the future.”
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director, at amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk or 07970 198492