AN aid worker with an Irish charity in western Ukraine has said the flow of refugees has not slowed.
Kieran McConville, from Concern Worldwide, is in Lviv - around an hour from the border with Poland.
"This part of the country is generally quiet," he told The Irish News.
"There was an attack on a military facility not far from here the night before last.
"That, I guess, gave people the feeling that the conflict was closer to here.
"Lviv is a transit centre for a lot of people coming through from the rest of the country. It has a big railway hub. You have lots of people coming from the east and from Kyiv and Kharkiv, mostly by bus or train to Poland, although some people are staying."
Mr McConville said the flow of refugees through Lviv has not lessened.
"At the train station yesterday there were many, many thousands of people," he said.
"The profile of the people who are coming through is starting to change. Last week we spent quite a lot of time at border crossings in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to assess the situation.
"Initially people had the means to travel and would have had somewhere to go - whether it's friends in Poland or other countries in Europe.
"From talking to people, more and more people who are travelling do not have a lot of financial resources and do not have anywhere to go."
Mr McConville said the "situation is very fluid".
But he said Concern is looking to see what refugees will need in the medium term.
"I can't predict but there is a good chance this situation will be protracted and we want to make sure that we're doing the right thing for the right people," he said.
He said many provincial towns in the west of Ukraine are hosting refugees from the east.
Food and other essentials are available in markets in the west.
"They (the refugees) are wanting to stay," he said.
"The perception is its safer closer to the border (with Poland)."
Concern is supporting refugees in the west and centre of Ukraine.
"We have joined seven different European organisations... two of which already have an operation in Ukraine," he said.
"We have a €10 million programme for people who are internally displaced within Ukraine and people hosting them.
"We are offering cash grants because it's often the most effective way to help people.
"We're providing people with money so that they can buy the things that they need."
He said the charity will also distribute hygiene kits, warm clothes and bedding and will help with rent.
"A lot of people don't want to leave Ukraine but they will need to find accommodation," he said.
"They are being house temporarily by local authorities in gymnasiums... but that's not something that's sustainable for families with kids."
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