A Ukrainian family who secured visas and flights to Australia has been barred from boarding a flight to Sydney, as their nine-month-old baby does not have a passport.
Iryna Zaiets fled Ukraine when the Russian invasion began on Thursday, with her mother Olena Kuzmych and nine-month-old baby Oksana, leaving her father and husband behind.
After making it across the border to Poland, the family secured visas and flights to Sydney.
But when they went to check in for the Emirates flight from Krakow to Sydney via Frankfurt and Dubai, they were told they could not fly.
Ms Zaiets' sister in Sydney said they would have been allowed into Australia on a direct flight, but faced deportation at transit stopovers because baby Oksana did not have a passport.
Olha Lyeskakova told AAP she has heard from half a dozen Ukrainian families with small children who are facing the same problem trying to get to Australia.
"I am the first one but there is a queue of people in the same circumstances and they are looking at me for how to manage all this," she said.
The department of home affairs is looking into the family's case.
Ms Lyeskakova's family is staying in emergency accommodation in Krakow but will not be able to remain there long and she believes they are not safe in Poland.
"If Russia starts bombing and uses nuclear weapons, it will not be limited by a border, it will go to Poland, it will go everywhere," she said.
Friends who are hiding in Kyiv have told her their houses have been leafleted with instructions in case of a nuclear attack.
Ms Lyeskakova said that while the European Union is allowing people to cross the border from Ukraine without travel documents, other countries are not.
"The EU will be overwhelmed with Ukrainians who will be willing to depart immediately from Europe to their relatives in Australia, the United States or Canada, but there is no legislation in place at this stage to get it done," she said.
The Australian permanent resident said the Ukrainian embassy in Krakow is assisting her family and she hopes DFAT may be able to quickly issue temporary travel documents for baby Oksana.
"We are very thankful to the Australian government, you can't believe how much support there is in this humanitarian crisis," she said.
The government is receiving about 100 visa applications from Ukrainian citizens each day, which are being prioritised.
Australia will provide a further $70 million in support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion, including missiles and ammunition.
