‘It was terrifying to hear the whistle before the explosion’

One of the Ukrainian refugees, who is now living a few miles from Killaloe, has revealed his lucky escape from a missile that bombed a nearby dwelling in war-torn Kyiv.

Alexander (61) from Kyiv is worried about the safety of his wife and son who are still in Ukraine and hopes they will be reunited with him in Killaloe.

The taxi driver speaks to his wife and son regularly by phone. A dwelling near his own family home was demolished by a missile leaving him wondering how he could have been killed and was very fortunate to experience such a lucky escape.

“It was just pure luck that I lived. It was terrifying to hear the whistle before the explosion. The war is very scary. I have a sister in Kyiv, the explosions are still happening there. It is terrible.”

On April 19, a group of Ukrainians arrived in Killaloe and 26 of them are living in the Killaloe Boy Scouts’ complex in Ballycuggeran, Ogonnelloe, which can accommodate up to 36.

Joanne Erdem, who is originally from Poland, works as duty manager for the complex on behalf of Allpro company from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and regularly liaises with the Department of Justice.

Living in Ballina, Killaloe for the last eight years, she previously worked in the local petrol station as a deli manager.

Dmitry left the Donetsk region two days after the start of the Russian invasion and knew it would happen after Putin signed an official document for a so-called “special operation”.

He said the impact of the war on the Donetsk region is “indescribable”.

“People are terrified. A rocket destroyed the local railway station where I live, killing 100 people and 50 civilians were injured. It was being used as an evacuation point, but it was still targeted by Russia. The railway station was 15 minutes away by foot. It was devastating.”

He is very worried about the safety of his mother and father, who live in the Donetsk region close to Kharkiv.

Andrew, who lived in Donetsk, recalled Russia started bombing this region eight years ago, against the wishes of the majority of local people who don’t want any Russian takeover.

He recalled major European soccer tournaments used to be held in a major stadium, the Donbas Arena, which has now been abandoned since May 2014 due to the war.

In 2016, Andrew moved to Kyiv where he tried to settle down but couldn’t earn enough money to secure long term quality accommodation.

Three years later, he returned to Donetsk and decided to leave on March 28 travelling to Estonia through Russia.

He said parts of the Donetsk region have been so badly damaged by the war they are “post apocalyptic”, leaving people without any food, electricity or water.

“We are forced to bury Ukrainian citizens who have been bombed in newly built graveyards in public places because we can’t transfer the bodies to the proper graveyards.”

“I think we have the war in Ukraine now because of the bombing that started in the Donetsk region eight years ago. If the Donetsk problem was resolved eight years ago, I don’t think we would have a war in Ukraine now.

“Only a very small minority of people – a few hundred in Donetsk want to be part of Russia. About 35% of people in Donetsk left eight years ago.”

The Donetsk People’s Republic is a breakaway state located in Ukraine, formed on April 7, 2014 by pro-Russian separatists following the so-called Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity.

He said living in Killaloe was a “paradise” for him because everything was so fresh and green.

Andrew believes Killaloe is very similar to the Carpathian mountains in Western Ukraine.

While Andrew is enjoying living in Killaloe where locals are very open and hospitable, he would like to learn how to speak the English language and get work.

“I am terrified about the possibility of a Third World War. I believe Putin will escalate, escalate and escalate this war.”

Vladyslav has fled from Melitopol in Southern Ukraine, which is now an occupied territory because of its proximity to Crimea and is 200 kilometres from Mariupol – a totally destroyed city.

He took his mother and grandmother out of this area and they are now living in Russia and Belgium respectively.

His father and another grandmother are still living in Melitopol because she didn’t want to move.

After the outbreak of the war, he recalled the Ukrainian government ruled that any male between the age of 18 and 60 couldn’t leave the country.

He said Melitopol was occupied by the Russians from the first day of the war because of its strategic position.

“Russia took over Melitopol without any major fight. It is now one of the largest Russian military bases in Ukraine. It is being used to bomb airports and other places in Ukraine.

“Russia could try and conscript people in Melitopol to fight for Russia against Ukrainian people in the war. That is why I left.

“Russia has changed the government and the currency in my home town. They changed everything. My home town was totally destroyed during the Second World War. If the Ukrainians try to push the Russian army out of Meliopol, it could be totally destroyed again.”

He would like to be able to work rather than relying on social welfare. Previously, he used to work as a bar tender in five-star restaurants in Kyiv.

He believes the war will continue until September at least and may last much longer.

Born in Sudan, Elsamuel, who is now a Ukraine citizen, has lived in Odessa in Southern Ukraine near the Black Sea and has completed a mechanical engineering degree.

Following the outbreak of the war, his wife and two sons are now residing in Sudan.

He likes Killaloe and finds people are very friendly towards the refugees.

Stressing the importance of education for refugees, he has started a course in Dublin to become a security guard, travelling up and down in recent weeks to participate in training.

Adelusi fled from Kyiv to Poland when the bombing started and later got a visa for his subsequent journey to Ireland.

Before the war started, he said people didn’t think it would be as bloody and brutal from what has actually transpired.

Born in Nigeria, he married a Ukrainian woman, Irina, who fled to Warsaw with their child and he hopes she will be able to come to Killaloe in the near future.

“I am angry over the war. It is pointless. I like Killaloe, people are very friendly and hospitable. I am happy to be in a safe place.”

Vladimir left the Western centre of Ukraine ten days before the war started because everyone knew it was going to happen and he didn’t want to be conscripted into the Ukrainian army.

Describing the war as “unbelievable”, he said watching the mayhem unfold in cities he had previously visited is akin to a bad “horror movie”.

“Watching the war is like being in a nightmare that you can’t escape or wake up from. I think the war will escalate in Ukraine, it might escalate into Europe.”

His brother, mother and two grandmothers still live in Ukraine.

He is worried that his brother could be enlisted into the Ukrainian army to fight in the war.

He said the lack of work in Ukraine is a problem for his family members. He isn’t happy to share part of the same name as Putin in view of what has happened during the war.