A Northlew man has offered a home to the grandmother of his Ukrainian-born partner who is currently braving the bombs in her flat in war-torn Kyiv.

Martin Perry and his partner Viktor Ieromin plan to travel as soon as possible to Ukraine’s border with Poland to meet Viktor’s grandmother and bring her back to seek sanctuary in the Devon countryside.

Martin, who runs a bed and breakfast in Northlew, said it was the least he could do for the woman who brought Viktor up from the age of 11.

‘She is Viktor’s grandmother and that is all that matters,’ he said. ‘I would provide accommodation for refugees in any case. I have got a big house and I’m in the fortunate position of being able to do it.

‘The situation of these poor people coming across the border at the moment can’t help but affect you. The affluent ones have already crossed. Now it is the disabled and elderly. They don’t have a car and some have nothing at all. I feel the UK have been very tardy in lifting these restrictions on visas.’

Viktor said his grandmother lives in an area on the northern outskirts of Kyiv which was currently being shelled by the Russians. Aged 72, she is not very mobile and despite the shelling, is not happy to leave her bed at night to shelter in the underground, as many are doing. Viktor, who has dual nationality, British and Ukrainian, is desperately applying for a visa for his grandmother Halyna (pronounced Galina) Larina to come to the UK. He has had to do this for her, as his grandmother does not speak English.

He said: ‘Obviously it is quite worrying for me being Ukrainian. My grandmother is still in Kyiv. She is 72 years old and she has arthritis and is not very mobile. I was just on the phone to her and she is scared to go out because of the blasts. It is very difficult.

‘When the war started 13 days ago, there were very few people left in her building so she is pretty much on her own. It is a two-storey block of flats so she is just hoping the Russian troops won’t target the building. She can hear the gunfire around it. It is very scary. they are being told to turn the lights off by the Ukrainian government.

He added: ‘Where she lives is on the outskirts of Kyiv. They really have difficulty getting food as most of the shops are closed.

‘There was literally no bread at all and she needed some medication, so I contacted my friend who lives in the western part of Ukraine near the Polish border. He was able to call her and gave her some numbers of a voluntary group and some of their boys took her some medication and food.’

He added: ‘From my side of things I’m trying to bring her to the UK which is difficult because of the visa. And there is no transportation from where she lives from the station. She is very brave though, she still says “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to stay in the shelter where there is nowhere to sleep.” She says she would rather stay in her bed. She is quite stubborn!’

He said the offer from Martin to give his grandmother shelter meant a huge amount, as did the support of many others in the Okehampton and Northlew community.

Viktor, who was born and raised in Crimea, has not been able to return since the region was invaded by Russia in 2014. He had come to the UK to study at Cambridge University in 2013 and has been here every since. He and Martin have been together for two and a half years and in that time he has made many friends in the Okehampton area.

‘Martin has been very generous to say my grandmother could come here and and the community of Okehampton and Northlew have been so supportive. ‘

He said despite everything, his grandmother is not hurrying from her war-torn country. ‘She says she wants another week to pack. She is on a priority list but there is very little transportation. Sometimes she will just say she will stay there, that whatever will be will be.’