The Ukrainian couple using social enterprise to rebuild lives in Scotland

Forced to flee their home in Odesa, Ukraine, a few weeks after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, married couple Vitalii Diakov and Hanna Dushkova eventually ended up that summer in Dundee, Scotland. 

Diakov and Dushkova (pictured top) were surrounded by Ukrainians facing the same challenges as them: forced to leave home in traumatic circumstances, based in temporary accommodation, unsure what would happen next and attempting to integrate into a new country and culture.

“The first steps were very uncertain. There was no answer to the question, ‘what’s next?’,” says Diakov. “This kind of situation is difficult, mentally and emotionally.” 

Both Diakov and Dushkova had worked as lawyers in Ukraine, and Dushkova had experience in delivering training on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and mediation. The couple quickly saw their skills and experience could help their community – so they got to work.

“We decided that the right thing to do was to help people talk about it, and build bridges with the local people who were trying to help,” says Diakov.

In September 2022 they launched Ukrainians Together, a project supporting displaced Ukrainians to settle into their new circumstances by promoting cultural integration and providing connections to voluntary positions and work experience.

The first steps were very uncertain. There was no answer to the question, ‘what’s next?

The success of Ukrainians Together demonstrated to Diakov and Dushkova the need for their services, not only for the Ukrainian community but more widely. With support from The Circle, a social enterprise support service in Dundee, and many others, in 2023 they launched Bring Together, a company limited by guarantee with an asset lock, expanding their services to other displaced people and underserved communities, such as refugees from Syria and Nigeria among others.

“Our aim is to provide education sessions and support for people affected by conflict and to transform their experience, showing there are opportunities in your work and in your life. You can think through what affected you and move forward,” says Diakov.

Bring Together now works across Scotland. The enterprise’s frontline support work is partly funded by delivering commercial conflict management, mediation and emotional intelligence training to educational institutions, local councils and others.

This week, as we passed the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Diakov reflects on why Bring Together is rooted in building community, the importance of cultural intelligence and his hopes for both Bring Together and Ukraine.

Vitalii Diakov writes…

Rebuilding after displacement

It is important to say that while this is the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war began much earlier, in 2014, with the occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. 

After 2014, the conflict was frozen and endless peace negotiations took place. People hoped that some sort of agreement would be reached. What has happened is something many of us never imagined could take place in the centre of Europe in the 21st century.

Even in displacement, we found ways to support one another, rebuild and create something meaningful

For me, as for many Ukrainians, having to leave our country was one of the most frightening and shocking experiences of our lives. We were forced to leave our homes to find safety and protect our families. The war changed every part of life – not only where we live, but how we think about home, identity, community and our future.

• Read more: ‘I asked my team: are you ready? They said yes.’ In Ukraine, social entrepreneurs are stepping up for their country

At the same time, it also revealed the strength of people and communities. Even in displacement, we found ways to support one another, rebuild and create something meaningful. That experience became the foundation for the work we do now through Bring Together.

Giving people the tools to move forward 

Bring Together was a genuine human response to our circumstances – creating a safe space for Ukrainians to talk, process our experience and support each other.  

As our journey developed step-by-step, we came to understand the challenges of displacement and migration more deeply and we saw a clear need to support resilience, integration and human connection. 

People need more than safety: they need community, trust and the tools to move forward

Our work is rooted in the principles of mediation, non-violent communication and the belief that people need more than safety: they need community, trust and the tools to move forward. That is why we focus on an interactive approach focused on practical experience and developing the ability to manage emotions and stress. 

We teach people how to resolve disagreements in relationships, communities and at work while considering cultural aspects.

The UK’s scheme to host Ukrainians affected by the war was designed as a temporary solution, but returning home is still not a realistic option for many people. Without certainty or a long-term solution, it is very difficult for Ukrainian families living in the UK to plan and move forward. It prevents people from taking permanent jobs, committing to education or rebuilding their lives with confidence.

Participants in our projects tell us that our approach has helped them find jobs, enter college and build new connections. That is the kind of impact we want to grow.

Our work is based on our experience in the legal profession, where we were interested in mediation as an alternative to negotiation. Negotiation often ends up escalating conflict and people lose trust. Mediation is all about finding common ground to reach a solution. 

So many organisations had our backs as we started up. Huge thanks to The Circle, Just Enterprise, Business Gateway Tayside, Elevator, the Centre for Entrepreneurship, our amazing community and social funders Firstport and UnLtd. 

Our long-term vision is to scale this work across the third sector and more broadly across organisations in Scotland and beyond – transforming the conflict experience and creating practical opportunities for understanding, trust and true connection in modern society.

The importance of cultural intelligence 

English is not our first language, so cultural misunderstanding can be a challenge for us. When something you're working towards is not happening, you can feel like there is something wrong with you or you've done something wrong, but sometimes it is just due to differences in culture.

This has been a challenge for us in developing Bring Together, but is also a challenge many of the people we support face. We run workshops on cultural differences, where we compare different cultures in terms of how people build trust, how people communicate, how they lead, how they give feedback.

As Ukrainians, our communication is very direct. So when we engage, we ask what we want, or we say what we want to talk about. In British culture you cannot say directly what you want, it’s not polite. For example, there have been times we've asked for feedback on failed funding applications and people feel really uncomfortable actually saying what was wrong or where we can improve. 

Ambitions in Scotland and hopes for Ukraine  

Scotland has become our home – a place where we feel safe and where we have been supported by local communities and partner organisations. That support made it possible for our initiative to grow into Bring Together.

Right now, our focus is on building strong partnerships with local organisations and communities in Scotland and creating more opportunities for families, young people and community groups through our work.

At the same time, we are also focused on growing Bring Together’s wider mission – working with the third sector, stakeholders and organisations more broadly to improve communications within teams, with customers, partners and stakeholders – to have trust-building and stronger human relationships.

Recent examples of this work include our Youth Mediation Programme in Stirling, and “What We Carry”, a community-led exhibition co-created with HMS Unicorn (a historic ship which is now a museum) and the Ukrainians Together community, which reflects the power of storytelling, cultural exchange and shared learning. (We warmly invite readers to visit the exhibition at HMS Unicorn in Dundee from 27 March 2026.)

Ukraine will always be part of who we are, and the work we started remains central to our story and values

Ukraine will always be part of who we are, and the work we started remains central to our story and values. If there is a future opportunity to contribute to rebuilding communities in Ukraine, we would want our experience and our approach to be part of that too.

The war is not over and it is difficult to predict what will happen next. My hope is first and foremost for peace, safety and justice for Ukraine and our people.

I also hope Ukraine’s recovery will focus not only on rebuilding infrastructure, but also on rebuilding lives, relationships and communities. Recovery must include emotional support, dignity and long-term opportunities for children and families, who are displaced internally in the country and who moved abroad.