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Select tickets – How NOT to Flee a War – Ukrainian Social Club, London

We’re less than a month away, so get your tickets NOW — and please share this post with friends, family, colleagues and anyone you think needs to hear this story. Expect the unexpected. Free tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/allfo...

tickettailor.com

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Now it’s London’s turn. 📍 Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain – London Branch, Holland Park 🕡 6:30pm start 🎟️ Free entry, but registration is required

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How NOT to Flee a War has already been presented at the Senedd, Aviva Studios in Manchester, the National Holocaust Museum, universities and festivals across the UK — and this autumn it’s heading to the Scottish Parliament.

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We will make you laugh, we will make you cry, and we will make you question. But most importantly, we’ll tell you stories that will stay with you long after the 70-minute show is over.

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What to expect: a raw, powerful first-hand account of escaping #Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine in its early days, told from two perspectives — mine as a Ukrainian journalist and Jez’s as my British partner who unexpectedly found himself caught in a war.

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Who on here is reading me from #London? This one is for you! On Sunday, October 4, my partner Jez and I are finally bringing our #HowNOTtoFleeaWar show to the capital!

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This @LBC interview was supposed to be about #Ukraine’s Independence Day, but in the end I got asked about pretty much everything BUT Independence Day 😅 Here’s how I answered the elections question ⬇️

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

One of the questions I get asked most often in radio and TV interviews these days is whether #Ukraine should hold presidential elections before the war is over.

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

You can ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶p̶a̶c̶a̶s̶ ̶ listen back to me talking about Andy Burnham and #Ukraine via this link: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/li… I was on at approximately 7:20am

bbc.co.uk

Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Waking up at 4:30am is made much better by getting to cuddle these three alpacas. 🦙🦙🦙 Sure, that BBC Radio Manchester interview I did at 7:20am was great, but HAVE YOU SEEN THESE CUTIES??!!!

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I’ve spent a third of my life with my country at war. 35 years of independence from Russia, and we still have to fight for it. 5/5 #Ukraine #IndependenceDay #ukraineindependenceday #nationalflag

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It’s a painful realisation. Even more painful is thinking about the destruction of so much that I love over the last 11 and a half years. I want to think about Ukraine simply as my home, but instead I’ve had to learn to carry that sense of home inside me. 4/5

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Ukraine Marks Independence Day, 6 Months After Russian Invasion

August 23 is the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine, and August 24 is Ukraine’s Independence Day. Four years ago, I shared with TIME what spending my first Independence Day away from Ukraine meant to me. Now I’m approaching my fifth. time.com/6208022/ukra... 3/5

time.com

President Zelensky warns that “Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, particularly cruel” on Wednesday.

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Not just my native streets of Podil in Kyiv, but the big square in Kharkiv, the mountains of Crimea and the sea in Odesa. The landscapes of the Carpathians, the coffee and cakes of Lviv and Uzhhorod, the urban vibe of Chernihiv, and my plans to finally visit Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk. 2/5

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

One day I will think about Ukraine and my mind won’t automatically spring to danger and war. I will think about home and what it means to me. 1/5

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2/ Aug 7 - Sidmouth Folk Festival Aug 16 - White Horse Military Show, Melksham Aug 28 - Greenbelt Festival Oct 2 - Bloxham School Oct 4 - Ukrainian Social Club, London Oct 16 - Louth Riverhead Theatre Oct 17 - North Lincolnshire Museum Mid-November - Scottish Parliament

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

1/ You should know by now that if I’m going in front of a camera something important is happening! Lots of new #hownottofleeawar shows to announce, including our first #London event! Want to attend that one? Message me. Here’s a full list of upcoming shows:

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Congratulations to @bevcraig.bsky.social, the new duly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #Manchester #gmelects #GreaterManchester

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Thank you so much for attending, @snitsova.bsky.social ! What a night it was with 200 people in the audience 😍

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Thank you so much for attending! We appreciated you being there 💜

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4/ We’re also delighted that @bbc5live.bsky.social presenter Chris Warburton will be joining us on stage for a live conversation after the talk. See you in a week, #Manchester. 🇺🇦 #HowNOTtoFleeaWar #Ukraine

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3/ The talk tells the story of our escape from the Kyiv region in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Previous audience members have described it as “the most moving” and “the most memorable” talk they’ve ever attended.

2/ We’ve already presented the talk at the Welsh Parliament and at cultural and educational venues across the UK. Now we’re finally bringing it home to Manchester.

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

1/ MANCHESTER, are you ready??? One week to go until Jez and I bring #HowNOTtoFleeaWar to Aviva Studios as the centrepiece event of #RefugeeWeek in #Manchester. All 200 tickets have now been snapped up (someone pinch me), but walk-ins are welcome, subject to available space.

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When I bought this scarf, I hoped there would be a time and place to wear it. And look — now is the time, and this is the place! 💙💛 #EnglandvsUkraine #Ukraine #HillDickinson

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5/5 Thank you to the magazine for speaking with me and to Valeriia Nechaieva for her wonderful photography. 💛💙

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4/5 Much of what I do these days is driven by a sense of responsibility to #Ukraine, the people whose stories need to be heard. There is certainly grief and survivor’s guilt in it, but also hope, purpose and community.

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3/5 …journalism and #volunteering have gone hand-in-hand: telling stories that matter, supporting people through difficult times, and helping nations understand each other. Delighted to reflect on this journey for the June issue of We ROAR Magazine.

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2/5 …Rishi Sunak and continued my journalism across UK and international media. The two have become inseparable for me. Journalism remains at the heart of who I am. It’s what I spent a decade doing professionally and what I continue to do today. Since #Russia’s full-scale invasion…

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1/5 A fortuitous coincidence that today is #JournalistDay in #Ukraine and this week is #VolunteersWeek in the UK. 4 years ago, the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport highlighted my volunteering work for Ukraine. Since then, I’ve received the Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister…

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So: if you have a ticket, brilliant. If you don’t have a ticket, come anyway. We’ll see you there! 🐝🇺🇦

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The worst that can happen is that it's unexpectedly packed and you have to stand at the back. The best that can happen is that you join 200+ people for a very special evening.

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We’ve been informed by the venue that because it’s a public space and, with it being likely that not everyone with a free ticket will show up, you are welcome to come along without a ticket. #Manchester

Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

What the hell has happened — we’ve sold out Aviva Studios in #Manchester!!! All 200 tickets gone just like that, with 2 weeks to go till showtime! This is incredible. But fret not, there’s still a way to get involved, so read on 👇🏻

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4/ If you’re coming to any of the talks, let me know which one!

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

2/ June dates: 📍 4 June — @settlestories.bsky.social , #Settle, North Yorkshire 📍 14 June — National Holocaust Museum, #Newark , Nottinghamshire 📍 17 June — Aviva Studios / Factory International, #Manchester 📍 18 June — #Newcastle City Library 📍 19 June — #Grantham, Lincolnshire + 1 private event

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

1/ April was probably the busiest month of my life. It turned out that almost all of May was needed to recover from it 😬 But I’m finally feeling like myself again, and I’m ready to share what’s coming up this month with my and my partner Jez’s How NOT to Flee a War talk tour 👇

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Many of the others were owned and run by my friends or were places I loved and frequented: cafes, museums, bars. World, are you watching, or are you too busy buying Russian oil?

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Exactly 29 years ago, on May 24, 1997, the very first McDonald’s in #Ukraine opened its doors in #Kyiv. In the early hours of May 24, 2026, that same #McDonalds was destroyed in a #Russia n attack. One of the countless places shattered overnight in my hometown.

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

7/ If you’d like to attend or host How NOT to Flee a War in your area, tickets and information can be found via our website: talksforukraine.com/talk-dates/ Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and listen to #Ukraine ‘s story. 🇺🇦

talksforukraine.com

How Not to Flee a War Events | Talks for Ukraine | Talks For Ukraine

Find upcoming events for “How Not to Flee a War” by Talks for Ukraine – check dates, locations, and book tickets for these powerful talks.

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Maria Romanenko @rommari.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

6/ And somehow, this strange little talk that started with us trying to process what happened to us is now touring the UK. We currently have seven scheduled talks in the diary — from #Newcastle to #Bath to #Oxfordshire.