A Ukrainian mum-of-two who fled the war has recalled how the family had to "stand in long lines" for food.
Iryna Diachuk arrived in Dublin with her daughters and niece on March 13 after their hometown of Kharkiv was targeted by constant bombing by the invading Russian forces.
The four of them made the frightening journey that lasted over a week with just their backpacks and one gym bag.
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Iryna described the scenes in Kharkiv leading up to the escape saying the war was totally unexpected.
She told Dublin Live: "For several days we didn’t even believe it was real.
"But when the first destruction started, when people started dying, everyone recognised and understood that it was a war. Those who were able to escape started massively fleeing the country."
But their family stood strong hoping the destruction wouldn't last for too long.
She added: "We started to adapt as much as possible because the shortage of food, clothes, water started. We had to stand in long lines to get supplies."
However, Iryna had to make the very difficult decision of fleeing to Ireland for her daughter and niece's safety.
She said: "We were scared for our children because our house shook heavily in the night.
"The children were scared and so were we all. It was a very difficult decision to leave for our family. We did it only for the sake of our children."
The 29-year-old added: "The situation is very bad. They are constantly bombing in Kharkiv. It's very scary."
They had to leave behind Iryna's husband, the daughters' grandparents, and the niece's parents who are currently hiding in the same house.
Iryna, her daughters, Anita (7), Sofia (3), and niece, Anastasiia (19), said the escape to the Polish border was the most difficult two days of their lives.
The family made its way from Kharkiv to Lviv, which is a large city on the other side of the country. The train journey took a whole 24 hours.
The group then took a bus from Lviv to the Polish border but their travel didn't end there.
The four were living in a hospice in Warsaw for nearly a week while waiting for their flight to Dublin. Then they travelled to Krakow where they finally boarded the plane to Ireland.
Iryna said: "[When we arrived in Dublin] it was messy. We had lots of emotions. Happiness, joy, sadness, and crying."
The four are living with a kind-hearted Dublin woman Aisling McMahon who opened her house for them.
Iryna said: "I knew Aisling before the war. It just so happened that we were communicating before the war started.
"We are so grateful to her for helping us. If it wasn’t for Aisling, we don’t know where we would have been. We don’t know if we’d even be alive right now. Thank you very much, Aisling."
Things are starting to look up for the family as they have found an apartment and Anita is going to school and Sofia has been enrolled in kindergarten.
Iryna said: "The girls are doing much better than adults. Everything is new for them, everything is interesting. It’s like a game for them.
"They remember everything very often- their friends and everything. The older daughter misses her school."
But the news of the apartment is bittersweet for Iryna who said: "It’s unclear now because on one hand there’s joy, but on the other, there’s some fear because the future is unpredictable."
Aisling has set up a GoFundMe to help Iryna and her family settle into their life in Ireland. You can donate here to help them.
Read more: Woman opens up on family's terrifying escape to Dublin from war-torn Ukraine
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