Ukrainians arrive in Leitrim as war in Ukraine forces families apart

The war in Ukraine has already inflicted a terrible human cost. So many civilians have died from Russian shelling as hundreds of thousands of people scramble to get to safety.

Since the war on the people of Ukraine was begun by Vladimir Putin, it is the ordinary innocent Ukrainian people who have borne the brunt of the Russian aggression over the past two weeks.

With women and children fleeing to the safety of the borders, families are being torn apart as fathers, brothers and husbands remain behind to fight against the tyranny that has been visited upon them.

Here in Leitrim, the impact of such a scenario is now a reality with one Ukrainian family living in Gorvagh outside Mohill welcoming some of their loved ones to the peace and tranquility of rural Co Leitrim.

Diana Tarkovych lives in Gorvagh with her husband Ivan and their children Leonardo, Beatrice and Leonora. Ivan has his own plant hire business.

On Sunday last she was joined by her mother Olga and sister Bozhana and her two children, Eva aged three and David aged just 8 months. Ivan's mother has also joined them in Leitrim.

Olga with her granddaughter Eva and daughter Bozhana in Gorvagh, Co Leitrim after arriving last Sunday from Ukraine.

The relief of having some of her family safely by her side is tinged with a huge degree of sadness, anxiety and fear as Bozhana's husband and their two brothers had to stay behind in Ukraine to fight against the Russian advance into their country. Another sister Oksana is staying with friends in Germany.

Diana said the war on her country has affected her greatly and she does not sleep properly at night and feels sick at the thoughts of what is happening in her country right now.

She still does not understand what has happened and finds it hard to process how it has got to this stage.

Worrying about her brothers and brother-in-law, Diana is conflicted by the thoughts of so many people taking shelter underground in bunkers and basements without heat, light, water, food or medicine.

Her family left their home in Brovary, a suburb of Kyiv, and drove for two days to get to the border with Hungary before crossing. They went on to Budapest and from there into Slovakia where they got a flight from Bratislava to Dublin.

Diana said she was very happy to have her family with her but had to push her sister to come. She didn't want to leave her husband behind and the life they had established with a new house and a young family.

She is worried that she will never see her husband again.

Diana impressed upon her the need to accompany and assist their mother and her children to get out and get to safety.

8 month old David playing with a toy at his aunt's house in Gorvagh.

The family hopes that they can now secure some accommodation locally for Bozhana and others who are due to come to Ireland in the coming days and weeks, and also that they can find work to help support themselves. She is thankful to Martin Kenny TD for his help to them in trying to source accommodation.

Diana's mother Olga is very worried about the safety of the people who are staying in the Ukraine and also for the future of Ukraine itself. They have other relatives who can't leave, they are cut off from getting out by the damage to the roads and bridges and don't have much food or water to sustain them.

Diana said she hopes the fighting will finish soon and while she would love to see the Russian people rise up against Putin she doesn't hold out much hope in that regard.

She said she spoke on the phone with a relative in Russia who told her Russia is 'doing well' against the Nazi Ukrainian President. Diana said Putin's propaganda has worked on the Russian people.

She said it didn't matter to Putin if he killed 100,000 people and his army has already killed civilians, women and children, and bombed schools, playschools and hospitals.

While the war rages on in Ukraine at least for those who have got out to safety like Diana's family in Leitrim, there is some comfort for them but they will need the full support of the local community to help them in their time of need and Leitrim won't be found wanting!