Alina Chernivska, 21, was woken by the sound of shelling in Odesa, her hometown, in the early hours of February 24 this year. Now, just a few months later, she's cycling around Cardiff, a new life well and truly begun, even if she wishes she could have her old one back
Alina was in Odesa at the start of the war before she made the decision to leave with a friend. "That first day, February 24 around 4am I woke up. There were explosions and my first thought was that I completely didn't understand what was going on," she said. "I was in panic, I didn't know what to do. The first reaction was panic."
Alina said she remained in the country for around six more days before leaving Ukraine with a friend. She said the days before the two left were "terrible." You can get more Ukraine news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
