Couple paint their Cambridge home with Ukrainian flag

A couple has painted their Cambridge house the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag to declare their solidarity with the country following the Russian invasion last week.

Rend Platings, a charity worker who lives on Coldhams Lane is originally from Iraq, but after going through fertility treatment in Ukraine she has made many close friends in the country and goes with her daughter, Samantha, to visit her close friend Kristina Korniuk.

She and her husband Michael decided to show their concern for friends in Ukraine by painting their house at the weekend.

Rend explained: “We feel very strongly about not ignoring the situation and bringing it as much attention as possible.

“We’re not Ukrainian. We just don’t feel like we can ignore this and we just feel like it should get as much attention as possible. I know not everyone can paint their house, but we think that people can show some sort of sign that they stand with Ukraine and that they want an end to this.

“I had been to a big demonstration in London on Saturday when I received a message from my husband with two jars of yellow and blue paint and he said, how about we paint the house? And I said that’s great.

“But to be honest you can’t get him to do DIY at the best of times so I thought there’s no way he’s going to be painting the house. I just didn’t believe it. But he actually was serious and he got his friends to help. I was just so happy that he did it.

“All of my Ukrainian friends contacted me on social media and they just loved it. They just said thank you so much. And I have to keep saying to them thank you so much for making it easy for me to love your country and to want to protect it and to stand up for it.”

Rend has been keeping in touch with her close friend Kristina, who has been hiding in a bomb shelter.

She said: “She sent me a picture of it and it’s really miserable, just grey walls. She’s very angry about it, very upset. She’s looking after her niece while her brother goes to fight in the army.

“She told me her niece was just asking all these questions about why they were in the shelter, why there were bangs outside. And she was trying to comfort her and explain that it’s OK.”