Since Russia invaded the Ukraine in February 2022, more than 2,000 people from that nation have moved to Northern Ireland.
Former TV presenter and reporter Kateryna Fuglevych is one of them.
The 32-year-old has been residing and working in a creche in Belfast since fleeing Ukraine in the spring of last year.
When the war started, Ms. Fuglevych left her job as a journalist in Odesa and traveled to join her parents in Kherson, which was under Russian control.
She admitted to BBC News NI that she only intended to stay there for a few days but ended up residing in the family home's basement for two months.
She praised her grandfather for building the basement.
We hardly slept because we could hear the bombs and missiles even when we were down there.
"We simply could not comprehend how this was possible or how the war would reach our nation. However, I needed to be with my family.
"We would trade food and medicine with our neighbors so that everyone could live. ".
After that, Ms. Fuglevych decided to leave Kherson with the aid of a friend.
She claimed, "I had 15 minutes to pack everything, my entire life, in my car and drive away.".
"The roads were no longer there because they had been destroyed; we had to travel through fields by following people who knew the way.
"I forgot to bring water, so I was without water for eight hours, and it was very terrifying.
"When I arrived at a checkpoint, I was concerned that Russians would recognize me as a journalist. .
"I hugged a Ukrainian soldier when I first saw him. ".
Eventually reaching Odesa, Ms. Fuglevych made the decision to leave Ukraine when bombing there began. .
She continued driving to Hungary and France before taking a ferry to Dover, England, and ultimately arriving in Belfast in the same car she had used to flee Ukraine.
"That car kept me alive. It has undergone a great deal, she said.
You can probably guess that it needs a lot of work. ".
Following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, which seriously flooded vast tracts of land on both sides of the Dnipro river, Ms. Fuglevych's hometown of Kherson has made headlines this month.
Many of Kateryna's relatives are still living in Kherson, though her parents did manage to travel to Odesa.
"They are constantly in fear because they are constantly being shelled and hit by missiles. She declared, "They are in danger.
"The flood's damage was so severe that I started crying. I was aware that there were pets and elderly people who couldn't get away.
"My parents believed they had escaped when they arrived in Odesa, but the city is also under attack.
I haven't seen them in a year, but we occasionally video chat. The difficulty is beyond your comprehension. ".
Eight months have passed since Ms. Fuglevych first arrived in Belfast, and she says she is appreciative of the opportunity to start over in Northern Ireland.
In comparison to my life as a journalist, it is very different, she said.
"I was giving speeches to politicians and celebrities, but now I work with kids, and it's wonderful.
"Belfast is incredible because the residents are so gracious and pleasant when I talk about my parents or my life.
"I know Belfast hasn't always had it easy, so they understand how difficult it is to try to live for Ukrainians.
"For me, it's really wonderful to be in Northern Ireland and to have the opportunity to begin a new life in Belfast.
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