Woman fatally swept off Esperance rocks identified as Ukrainian mother who fled war to live in WA

Ukrainian mother Olya Tikhanova was on a family holiday when she was fatally swept off the rocks at Salmon Beach near Esperance, on the south coast of WA, about 11am on Saturday.

The 40-year-old woman had been living in Perth with her husband Vladislav and her 14-year-old daughter Alice, after fleeing her war-torn homeland, The West Australian reports.

Olya, who used to work as a photographer and who fell in love with Australian nature after escaping the war in Ukraine, was taking a picture on the rocks at the beach when she was swept off by a wave, it reports.

She was unable to be revived when her body was pulled to the shore.

Olya worked at Perth company Alloy Steel with Vladislav, who called Olya’s team leader Simone Monaco hours after the incident.

“She’s gone, she was taking a picture (and) she went in the water. I tried to help her, but I realised it was too dangerous and too late,” Monaco told The West Australian that Vladislav had said on the phone.

Vladislav had moved to WA in 2022, just days before Russia’s war on Ukraine erupted — he secured a sponsorship to work as a welder at Alloy Steel just days before the invasion, The West Australian reports.

Olya and Alice stayed behind in the southeast Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, which has since been destroyed by drone and missile attacks, and where the largest nuclear reactor in Europe has now been taken control of by Russia, it reports.

They managed to escape the devastating conflict and join Vladislav once he had established a life for them in Perth.

‘Something terrible has happened’

The young family’s community in WA remembered Olya as “someone impossible to forget”.

“Her genuine smile, boundless energy, and love for life touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing her,” one friend wrote on Facebook.

“She left behind a warmth that will always stay with us.

“The weight of this loss is unimaginable.”

Another friend wrote on Facebook: “What a heartbreaking tragedy that has taken our Olya away from us.

“She was such a happy, bright, optimistic and loving person. She will be terribly missed by her loved ones and the whole Ukrainian community.”

As Vladislav juggles caring for Alice and making funeral arrangements, a GoFundMe has been created to support them.

“Something terrible happened — our Olya tragically died. Our little light stopped shining, and our life became darker,” it said.

“The overflowing stream of kindness, laughter, warmth, love and radiance stopped.

“Without a doubt, the people who were touched by her spirit will never forget her. Olya made people around her better, and the memory of her will keep them that way.

“Be appreciative of your loved ones, who give meaning to your life.”