A Sky News journalist caused a stir online after telling two Ukrainian refugees in Dublin that the British people were behind them.
Kay Burley, who presents the channel’s breakfast slot, had been talking about the importance of ‘wording’ just minutes before.
Allada and Anastasia from Kharkiv joined Burley on air this morning to discuss fleeing their country and travelling to Dublin.
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They spoke about how Ukraine is under attack from Russia, and how their hometown is currently the target.
“As you know, civilians are dying every day. Our families who stayed in Kharkiv are hiding in bomb shelters and underground stations to avoid Russian rockets and bombs,” Allada said.
After getting “stranded” in Poland, Allada said they ended up in Ireland “by accident”.
At the end of the interview, Burley thanked the women for joining the programme, but not before stirring viewers with one confusing line.
She said: “I’m so pleased that you are safe and what a terrible journey you have had but hopefully you can start to build a new life in Dublin safe in the knowledge that the British people are completely behind you.”
In response to this, Allada thanked the Irish people for welcoming them. “We are so grateful to Irish people for all the kindness and all the hospitality that they treat us with and our Irish family who host us,” she said.
“In this family, we are surrounded by care and attention. We could feel family warmth and we really appreciate it.”
Twitter responded quickly, with Maia Dunphy summing up most people's feelings by saying: "Days since the Brits were at it: 0."
She added: "Well done to this young woman for giving Burley a succinct geography lesson."
One woman said: "It’s curious how women who are from a country 1000s of miles away is the one who has to give a geography lesson to the woman who has extensive experience living beside Ireland and reporting about it."
Another wrote: "I'd say any Ukrainian who has travelled far from home has been called Russian many, many times. I'd say she understood very clearly what was happening."
While another person argued that Burley was misunderstood, saying: "She said the British were behind them, wishing them well. And the girls thanked the Irish, didn’t give a geography lesson."
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