A Dublin woman has opened up about her family's terrifying journey from war-torn Ukraine.
Marina Golodnikova lives in Dalkey with her six-year-old son, and she decided to visit her mother in Kharkiv over the midterm break just before the country was invaded by Russia.
Marina and her family, as well as their two cats, were forced to flee Kharkiv and cross thousands of miles to reach Dulblin.
Read more: Kind-hearted Dublin grandma opens up her home to Ukrainian family escaping war
Speaking to Dublin Live about her journey, Marina said that she and her son arrived in Kharkiv three days before the war broke out.
She said: "It was the middle of the night, exactly the same way it started for my country which was part of the Soviet Union in 1941 when Hitler invaded us."
She described how shocked she felt upon discovering that Freedom Square was badly damaged after being bombed.
She said: "For every person from Kharkiv it has childhood and youth memories, this is the centre of the city.
"When I saw it being hit by missile that was actually the first time I broke down and cried so bad.
"I couldn't believe that something that is a symbol of freedom, a symbol of peace, is being destroyed absolutely senselessly."
Marina's former school was also badly damaged by a missile strike.
According to Marina, train routes were transformed for evacuation.
Everything was for free but it was extremely crowded - and Marina and her family feared they wouldn't make it out of the city.
Marina said: "There's a photo circulating around of a railway station where it was backed to the fullest and we were like, I have a six-year-old on my hand and two cats.
"We thought we're not gonna make it.
"What happened in the end was a friend of a friend, basically in the IT community in Ukraine, they organised evacuation from those areas and we were very lucky.
"We got a car with a military driver and so we were in two cars in the end."
Marina's mother, son, and two cats were in the first car, and she drove the second taking two neighbours and a dog out of Kharkiv.
On the second day of travelling, Marina and her family had to spend the night sleeping in a school in Poltava before continuing on their journey.
"When we were leaving Kharkiv it was eerie," she recalled.
"We saw so many bombed buildings that we hadn't seen where we lived, but once you seen it with your own eyes and you realise it is exactly like those World War II photos.
"That was difficult."
Marina and her family then travelled by plane to Budapest, then to Amsterdam, before finally reaching Dublin Airport.
Marina described her family's cats as being "furry heroes" for making it through Kharkiv and then through two flights.
She also hailed local heroes on the ground in Kharkiv who are supporting the vulnerable and elderly by picking up their groceries and medical supplies
Marina has organised a GoFundMe page to help their efforts, and anyone wishing to donate can click here.
Read more: Ukraine war: Support centres open in Dublin to help refugees get PPS numbers and income supports
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