Ivanka Holovata's twin boys Tom and Ted were all smiles as they celebrated their fourth birthdays in Perth yesterday.
There were presents and cake for the preschoolers, and a rousing round of "Happy Birthday" was sung by their new friends.
But their mum was unable to give them the one thing they wanted most of all — their father.
Ms Holovata, 25, and her boys are among a group of more than a dozen Ukrainian families to have arrived in Perth in the last week, having fled their war-torn homeland in almost unimaginable circumstances.
Simone Litwin from Perth's Ukrainian community helped organise a welcoming event for the new arrivals, mainly women and children because Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are banned from leaving the country.
"[They've] arrived with nothing but a suitcase and horrible memories of an unprovoked attack on the people of Ukraine," she said.
"They have lost many family members."
Sheltering in the basement
Ms Holovata said the support of the Perth community had come when she needed it most.
"At home we were hearing all the time, air raid sirens … they were crying, and we were hiding in the basement.
"Even when they hear an ambulance driving down the street, they are coming to me and asking if it is air raid sirens and where we should we hide."
She said her boys missed their father.
"I try not to call [my husband] because I don’t want him to listen to me crying," Ms Holovata said.
"I tell my kids everything is OK here and they are calm … I am very thankful for the Australian people and for Australian land that my kids can be calm here."
Journalist feared being targeted
Ukrainian journalist Nadia Kotova and her two young children have undergone similarly harrowing experiences, fleeing Kyiv after "rockets started coming".
"As we were driving, we could hear the bombs and one building near us was hit," she said.
Ms Kotova was able to stay with family in Ukraine’s west, but said her husband was concerned for her safety because of her career.
"The Russians were annihilating everybody who was involved in journalism of any kind," she said.
"My colleagues told me that the Russians had a list of journalists, and they were working through it to search for us."
Leaving her husband behind, Ms Kotova fled to Poland with her two children before they made their way to Perth to live with a host family.
She said she was grateful to be in a safe place again, but her children were still adjusting.
"Every night my little daughter asks me, 'where are we staying today? Where are we going to sleep tonight?'" she said.
"But now we're with people we've never met before and they're so warm and inviting."
Heartbreaking stories from child refugees
Local Ukrainian author Lesa Melnyczuk Morgan, who gave a book reading to the new arrivals at the childcare centre, said it was easier for Ukrainian children to immerse themselves in the Perth community than it was for adults.
"Most of them don't speak English so they will need English classes … and it is going to be a little slower for them," she said.
"But we are not dealing with villagers like the first genocide … these people are highly educated."
Ms Morgan said it was confronting to see how traumatised some of the children were.
"For a child to speak so openly, it is heartbreaking.
"But they need to talk it out, they need to say the words and they need to hear from another Ukrainian that it's OK [and] that things will be better."
'Appreciate peace and freedom'
Despite the struggles she and her family have faced, Ms Holovata said she could not be more thankful to be in Perth.
"I'm thankful to all the people in Australia who are helping my kids not to be afraid of the world," she said.
"I want to ask all people in Australia and all around the world to appreciate their peace, to appreciate their freedom and the calm sky above you because it's the best thing you can have in your life.’
Around 5,000 Ukrainians have been granted visas to travel to Australia, including skilled migrant and family reunion visas, as well as student and tourist visas.
Hundreds are expected to arrive in WA in the coming months.
