Iryna Matiyashek’s life changed overnight when Russian troops rolled into Ukraine in February 2022. Born and raised in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, the 27-year-old business analyst fled to London during the invasion but still struggles to accept what is happening back home.
“The first three days after Russia invaded were the hardest of my life,” she told The London Standard. “It felt so unfair—having to fight for something as basic as freedom while others simply have it.”
