Striking participant in ‘Homo universalis’: Ukrainian refugee who arrived in Antwerp in March
She fled Ukraine only at the beginning of March, and Oleksandra Khaninova (38) can already be seen on TV for the first time. The Ukrainian participate in homo universalisthat from Saturday evening is a full program and no longer a section in Everyone famous. “I’m always up for adventure,” she says in The last news.
“When an acquaintance of mine from Antwerp sent me a link with the registration form, I had no idea where I would end up, but I mainly thought: why not?”, says Khaninova, call sign Sasha. In addition to a few Dutch participants, she will be the first foreign participant. “There was a fortunate employee who started the trials for me, but the moment they started through those speakers and all the participants started to get stressed out, I had no idea.”
The Ukrainian came to Belgium from Kharkiv on March 12. “I had no intention of fleeing until a Russian bomb blew up the pet store around the corner where I bought food for my dog Molly every day. When a good friend was made a good friend’s house, fear overcame me and I started to leave.” She now lives in Antwerp. “With Ann and Herman and their five children, such lovely people.”
Gay Universalisstarting tonight every Saturday at 8.25 pm on One.