War in Ukraine

Escape from Ukraine: ‘I want to start a new life in Ireland – and to live a safe life there’

In the Full Market centre in Rzeszow, Poland, Ukrainian refugees who are making their way further west – to Ireland and England – say they hope to make a fresh start for their families

Maksym Rakovskiy with his son Kirill at the Full Market refugee centre in Rzeszow, Poland: ‘We were lucky we were able to come here to a safe place.’ Picture: Jeff Farrell

Maksym Rakovskiy wiped the sweat off his brow after a long journey with his wife and three children.

The family are in Ireland now, but when the Business Post encountered them last week in Rzeszow, a city in the south east of Poland, they had just fled Odesa, more than 1,000 kilometres away, as Russian forces ramped up their bombing of the Black Sea port city.

“We saw the missiles flying over our heads and ...