Refugee said she didn’t ‘steal’ boyfriend from another woman
A Ukrainian has denied she’s a “homewrecker” after she began a relationship with a married man 10 days after she took refuge in his family home.
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A Ukrainian refugee who has been targeted after she fled the war and moved in with a British family, before falling in love with the household’s patriarch, has taken to Instagram to address bullies.
Sofiia Karkadym, 22, made headlines when it was revealed father-of-two Tony Garnett had left his partner for her 10 days after she came to live with the family to escape the war in Ukraine.
Since, she has been targeted by trolls.
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After the vitriol piled up, Ms Karkadym took to Instagram, posting a photo of herself with Mr Garnett in front of the London Eye, and insisted she didn’t “steal” anyone.
“The first thing I want to say is that I did not steal anyone from the family. It was his conscious and considered decision, the decision of a 29-year-old man who has the right to fall in love, has the right to be happy and has the right to choose who to be with,” Ms Karkadym wrote in her native language.
She asked her followers if they truly thought a man could be “abducted” from his happy family in ten days.
“When you read nonsense about stars shining in a corner for advertising – do you believe it? I doubt it,” she said.
“Then why so much attention to my story, if it is clearly exaggerated and written in such a way as to be as dramatic as possible?”
She added that her and Mr Garnett were in good place.
“Those who supported me from the very beginning and knew that behind any of my actions there is something real and wonderful – thank you. The rest – you will be disappointed in your judgments,” she concluded.
Last month, Ms Karkadym’s story hit headlines, with her explaining to The Sun she understood the situation was complicated.
However, she has denied that she is a “homewrecker” and that Mr Garnett’s relationship was destroyed “long before” she arrived.
As well as abuse about her new relationship, Ms Karkadym has also faced criticism from her family who claim her story has put off other UK families from taking in Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s more than about me, Tony and Lorna. It’s deeper. It’s about everything, about the war, refugees, helping people, everything. In my country, it is important for refugees to get the help they need and this has done the opposite,” she said.
“You cannot understand what I feel. It’s your country, you have your family here, you have everything here. And now I have people writing to me saying I’m a horrible person, that I did a bad thing for my country. Everyone in the UK is thinking the same thing because I ‘took’ [the] man from the family – but all of this is lies.”
Ms Karkadym fled Lviv, Ukraine, after the Russian invasion began on February 24.
The IT worker made her way to the UK via Poland and Germany.
But after two months of moving from “pillar to post” she decided to move to the UK after the government offered refugees six month placements with host families.
She said she never intended for what happened between herself and Mr Garnett and, while living with the family, had done her best to form a friendship and help Lorna, Mr Garnett’s partner, around the home.
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