A Ukrainian mother now living in east Belfast has spoken of the moment Russian missile attacks forced her to flee with her young family.
One year on from the invasion of Ukraine, around 14m people have become displaced including over 2,000 who have settled in Northern Ireland.
In August, Anastasilia Sakhnenko (32) from Kyiv arrived in east Belfast via Poland with her six-year-old daughter Emiliia.
At their new home in east Belfast, a car with a Ukranian registration sits outside while children’s art with Ukranian writing covers the walls inside.
Read More
- Ukranian grandparents in Portadown who lived through Second World War face 90th birthdays as refugees
- Ukranians to mark anniversary of Russian invasion at Belfast City Hall
Anastasiia’s mother Nataliia (50), younger brother Timur (15) and sister Alisa (10), also made the journey while her husband and father, both named Sergii and aged 32 and 54, had to stay behind to help with the war effort.
Preparing for a rally at Belfast City Hall on Saturday, she told the Irish News of how their lives changed overnight.
"My mum was actually the person who really thought it might happen, the full-scale invasion,” she said.
"So she asked me and all our family to be prepared, so we packed our suitcases and fuelled our cars.”
They planned to drive to her father’s apartment in Lviv, near the Polish border, if the worst ever happened.
“So actually, when the war started on the 24th, it was early in the morning and I received a call from my friend,” she said.
“She lives near the city and she heard the first rocket attacks. And then I woke up all the family.”
The 600km journey ended up taking three days, as thousands of cars leaving the city were searched for weapons.
Her day was supposed to have involved taking the children swimming and going to the office.
“While we were exiting Kyiv we saw lots of tanks with soldiers who made barriers around the city, that was really scary for the kids and for us,” she said.
“But most of the cars were beeping to the tanks and supporting and encouraging them."
She is grateful her daughter did not have to witness any fighting first hand.
"There were lots of cars with civilians who were trying to leave some cities to a safer place and were just bombed on their way."
Moving across the border to Poland, overcrowded with the first wave of refugees, the family were eventually able to come to Northern Ireland under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
"It's hard to explain everything, because a very big part of our last year has been our emotional state," she said.
Welcomed by the local community, she said the children are settling well in school but their thoughts are never far from loved ones at home.
"It's different for all of the children I would say, people are individuals, you know,” she said.
"My sister really likes the educational process here. She had some base of English so she could understand and it became better when she found friends.
“For my daughter, it was harder in terms of language because she didn't study English in Ukraine.
“In the first months she was watching and trying to understand what people are talking about but she couldn't understand anything.”
At other times, the radical change in her life has been overwhelming.
“She can start crying from no point. When I ask ‘why you do you cry’, she says 'I just miss my dad'.
“She also plays some games when she's eating and doesn't want some part of the meal, she says 'Ok, this part is Russia, I don't want this.'
“So I really understand that, maybe even if she doesn't express and doesn't explain to me, somewhere inside she is feeling that.”
For her 15-year-old brother Timur, the difficulty has been in missing his friends and catching up on more complex school subjects in his second language.
“Of course, it's hard for him, but at the same time boys at his school are very friendly and they took him in the team, they communicate with him and there is no bullying or trouble.
“It's just difficult for him to cope at this age."
She continues to work remotely with her husband for an outsourcing company, supplying whatever materials are needed in Ukraine.
Her father, who was formerly in the army during the Soviet Union, has also been volunteering through driving cars from the Polish border and repairing vehicles.
While separated for a year, the family keep in touch every day through video calls, messages and even playing board games online.
Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to escalate hostilities against Ukraine, Anastasiia said: "I even don't want to comment about Putin's speech. As Ukranians it's hard to explain our emotions against them.
"It doesn't feel fair, we don't feel understanding because we can't find the logical ways to explain their war, what they do.
"That's why we believe in our power, I believe in Ukrainians and people who protect the country and believe in the support from other countries.
"Personally, I feel hopeful all the time because without hope life would be really hard."
