Oldham MP Jim McMahon visits Ukraine war zone on 4th anniversary

Oldham's MP Jim McMahon has returned from a harrowing visit to Ukraine, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of Russia's ongoing war on the fourth anniversary of the invasion. The cross-party delegation, which included McMahon, entered Ukraine through Moldova before visiting Odesa, Kyiv, and the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear site.

In Odesa, the group experienced the war's reality when missiles struck nearby overnight, damaging four residential blocks and a school while they sheltered in a bunker. The attacks continued in Kyiv, where they witnessed 'ballistic missiles and drones raining down' during a significant assault.

The trip's most haunting moment came at a bombed residential site where McMahon met a woman whose home had been destroyed in an attack that killed her six-year-old daughter. 'As we walked around the site, we saw a woman standing silently, clearly distressed,' McMahon recounted, describing how through a translator they learned the rubble had once been her family's home.

McMahon's visit held particular significance for Oldham, which has welcomed over 150 Ukrainian refugees through the Homes for Ukraine programme. 'Oldhamers had opened their hearts and their homes to provide sanctuary,' he noted, adding that he was 'proud of the people of Oldham who have stepped forward to offer safe sanctuary to those in need.