A Ukrainian woman living in London has spoken about her fears for her family, including her 76-year-old grandmother in Kyiv.
Daria, who moved to the UK four years ago, received a phone call from her distressed mother at 4am telling her she had heard explosions nearby.
The 28-year-old had been due to fly to her homeland on Monday to be with her family in light of the growing threat of invasion, MyLondon reports.
But now she fears it is "too late" as Russia pursues a takeover of the eastern European country and her grandmother Tetyana who is battling cancer refuses to leave.
Her parents Volodymyr and Olena say they will leave Ukraine in the morning if the situation worsens, as they deal with the shock of being woken by explosions.
Volodymyr said: "I was in bed and then at 5am I heard the missiles. I thought that I would need to protect the family. I jumped out of bed and came close to the window and when I was close to the window, I tried to look outside but everything was very dark.
"I knew it was an invasion and air strikes. I turned on the television and started watching the news to understand what was going on. When I realised, I panicked, I didn't know what to do. I felt lost."
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Daria’s mother was also woken by the air strikes and rang her daughter to tell her what was happening.
Daria said: “I was asleep in my bed at 4.15am London time and I had a call from my mum. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’, and she told me that she heard something.
"She was so distressed, she was crying of course. Nobody expected it and she didn't expect it and she was crying.
“She didn't know if it was like bombs or strikes, and then when she checked the news, because it was immediately on the news, it said that it was Russian air strikes all lover Kyiv outskirts.
“That's why she could hear it in the city centre."
The family discussed how they were going to tell Daria’s grandmother about the invasion without putting her under mental stress while she battles cancer. But when they tried to persuade the 76-year-old to leave Kyiv, she said she wouldn’t leave the country of her birth.
Daria's dad Volodymyr said: "I spoke to Daria’s grandmother but she did not want to leave. She said, ‘this is where she was born’ and she doesn't want to leave."
But the 28-year-old says she hopes she will be able to persuade her grandmother to leave her home although she was due to have her final cancer treatment on Monday (February 28).
The 28-year-old said: “It makes me feel horrible. Everyone has their favourite grandma and this is my grandma who brought me up so I really love her.
“She's very sick, she has cancer. Her doctor is here so he can take care of her. She was supposed to get her final treatment on Monday. She had chemotherapy four times. I will try to persuade her to leave.
Daria’s mother Olena has been deeply affected by the invasion and says she won’t be able to sleep as sirens could blare out at any moment.
Olena said: “I didn't expect this to happen so fast. I didn't expect it to be so unexpected. I won't sleep. I haven't eaten the whole night and the whole day and I won't sleep.
“I will be following the news because I'm scared for Ukrainians. In the morning the sirens didn't stop. It was constant and then later in the day it was three times.”
Olena’s husband decided to go to the shops to get some medication for her to help calm her nerves. He also went to deliver food supplies to Daria’s grandmother and grandfather who live nearby.
He said: “I went to the pharmacy to buy some medication to help calm my wife and to get some water and bread.
“My wife's heart was pounding and her mouth was getting dry and she was panicking so she needed something to calm her down. I bought food for Daria’s grandmother so that they had enough.”
Volodymyr says he believes the situation will get worse and that he is prepared to leave and head to western Ukraine where he hopes it will be safer.
Volodymyr said: “I think the situation will get more aggravated. It won't be easy and it will get worse.
“If it does, we will leave Kyiv. We will go to western Ukraine where I believe there will be fewer attacks and the probability of armed aggression will be less. We will give it until tomorrow morning.”
Daria says she feels “horrible” not being able to be with her family and friends to support them.
She said: “I feel really horrible because 90 percent of the people I talk to are in Kyiv. My parents don’t have much support. I knew there would be some form of invasion from Russia and I didn't expect it would happen so abruptly in such a horrible form.
“I didn't expect Kyiv would be invaded or attacked overnight. I was hoping to come to Kyiv this weekend to be with my parents because I knew some form of invasion would happen in the near future but I didn't have time. I won't be able to go and see them.”
