How Ukrainian women in Scotland are building a future for Ukraine
Since the full-scale war started in Ukraine in 2022, thousands of displaced Ukrainian women have been based in Scotland, where they continue to work for Ukraine’s future and recovery.
In Ukraine, many of them held influential positions in local governments, non-profit organisations, universities and corporations. Since being displaced, they have been looking for ways to contribute to Scottish society while supporting the Ukrainian community in Scotland and maintaining their connections with Ukraine.
In 2024, the John Smith Trust launched the Ukrainian Women’s Leadership Programme in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Business School.
We brought together 20 Ukrainian women who plan to return to their home communities and equipped them with skills in conflict resolution and strategic thinking to lead effectively. Programme facilitators drew on international examples from Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Balkans to expand the participants’ knowledge and understanding.
Building a strong network of Ukrainian leaders
During the programme, the women built strong relationships with each other and with their Scottish counterparts, which contributed to the development of many collaborative and impactful projects supporting Ukrainians in Scotland and in Ukraine.
Anna Kulish is the Secretary of the Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group on Ukraine and chairs its business and economy working group, which promotes economic ties between Scotland and Ukraine.
With the CPG, she led the first trade visit from Ukraine to Scotland in over a decade, with 60 delegates including community leaders and mayors of Ukrainian cities. They came to Scotland not to ask for aid, but to present investment projects. Anna believes that Scotland can play a vital role in Ukraine’s reconstruction, especially when it comes to green energy and innovation.
She says: “I think we have a lot of work to do to turn Scotland’s political solidarity with Ukraine into practical outcomes. It’s not going to be an easy path, but I think cooperation between Scotland, the wider UK and Ukraine is very realistic and mutually beneficial.”
Changing needs
Nataliia Danova, a creative practitioner from Kyiv who currently works as an interpreter for Edinburgh City Council, has emerged as a key community leader within Scotland’s Ukrainian diaspora. In 2022, she joined the grassroots initiative Help Ukraine Scotland, which was formed to respond to the immediate needs of newly arrived Ukrainians.
Three years on, Nataliia is leading the transformation of Help Ukraine Scotland into a registered charity, shifting its focus from crisis response to long-term support and integration. “At the time, it was an immediate response to emergency needs,” Nataliia explains. “But now, three years later, people’s needs are constantly evolving.”
The new charity aims to serve as an accessible hub where displaced Ukrainians can find reliable information from multiple sources in one place. “We want to ensure that displaced Ukrainians feel more confident, more connected, and better equipped to contribute to their new communities,” she says.
Elena Frantskevych is an advocate for Ukraine, combining humanitarian leadership with grassroots civic action. She co-founded and managed Perlyna, a non-profit centre in Riga, Latvia that supported over 400 Ukrainian children displaced by the war, for two years. Together with another Fellow, Hanna Tekliuk, she organised a charity screening for over 200 Ukrainian children and their families in Edinburgh. This is part of the everyday work that many of the women do in helping compatriots integrate in their new communities.
Elena is currently working alongside Nataliia Danova on the Help Scotland Ukraine initiative. She also supports a Ukrainian company which develops drone defense systems and she leads the University of Edinburgh Ukrainian Alumni Community.
Elena says: “I was really excited to meet like-minded people. It played a crucial role in my integration. I truly believe you need to not only set yourself up well but also contribute to society to make this world a better place.”
Solidarity with Ukraine
Hanna Tekliuk established the Ukrainian St Margaret’s Saturday School for relocated Ukrainian children, especially from families planning to return to Ukraine. These schools are vital for preserving their Ukrainian identity and maintaining a deep connection to their heritage.
Looking towards the future, Hanna says: “When we come back to Ukraine, we will be able to apply the skills we learned here to rebuild Ukraine, contribute to reforms and help create a brighter future.”
Hanna, like many of the women, is involved in different projects to support Ukraine. She is an active member of the Education Working Group of the CPG on Ukraine and has set up a network of ‘Edinburgh Spiders’: weekly meetings at three locations in Edinburgh where people make camouflage nets for the Ukrainian front lines and civilians. It is also an opportunity for people to bond, network and support each other. Since starting the initiative, she has found people of over twenty different nationalities keen to get involved and show their solidarity with Ukraine.
Hanna’s leadership and dedication exemplify the resilience and unity of the Ukrainian community, both at home and abroad.
Integration in Scotland and connection with Ukraine
Ukrainians in Scotland face many barriers to integration: cultural differences, limited access to information and uncertainty about whether they can – or want to – stay. Amid this, our Fellows continue to show their leadership, working in city councils with refugees and resettlement teams, serving as military linguists and interpreters and initiating projects to support a better future for Ukraine.
One year on at a programme reunion, Fellows discussed three challenges their community continues to face: how to support each other in the face of uncertainty, how to navigate life and integration in Scotland and how to stay connected with Ukraine.
They also discussed the importance of preserving the Ukrainian identity, for themselves and the next generation. The emphasis across all topics was on practical solutions, shared responsibility and the power of community.
“The future is not inherited, it is co-created,” said Fellow Nataliia Bolshova at the reunion. Building a future without solid ground is difficult. But these women are not afraid to lead with both vulnerability and courage. In the face of uncertainty, the sense of community is strong and there is no doubt the challenges will be overcome.
Apply to our Wider Europe and Central Asia fellowship programme by 22 June.