Irish in Ukraine advised to 'stay safe' as panic sets in among citizens

Inhabitants of Kyiv leave the city following pre-offensive missile strikes of the Russian armed forces and Belarus on February 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: Pierre Crom/Getty Images

An Irish businessman in Ukraine has warned that panic is beginning to build, with hundreds of thousands of people attempting to leave the country as efforts continue to ensure Irish citizens are safe.

Irish businessman Brendan Murphy, who had been trying to get temporary visas for his Ukrainian wife and family, has again criticised the Irish Government for failing to make travel from Ukraine to Ireland visa-free. 

Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other major cities following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement that a military operation had begun.

Brendan Murphy and his family are now stuck in Kyiv but could have left last week if not for the Irish Government’s position on visas.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Murphy said people were now trying to get out of Kyiv to find safer locations.

“People are relocating because, as you know, Putin has bombed multiple cities and of course, he is going to bomb substantially more," he said.

"People are concerned about that and of course people are trying to move to locations that are safe. But then, the Ukrainian people, we have no choice, you have to fight.

I can see now the panic is beginning. People are trying to get money from banks and things so people are beginning to kind of do everything they can.”

Mr Murphy had been trying to get emergency visas for his wife Marina, her 80-year-old mother and her daughter. Ireland was the only country in Europe that insisted on visas for travel from Ukraine, he said.

He said they now need to relocate out of the city centre.

“We want to follow the government's orders. The government is very organised — very calm with good information — but obviously, systems that were relied on like taxis and public transport are not able to support anybody wanting to relocate," he said.

Mr Murphy warned the window of opportunity was "now very narrow" because there are no flights and called on Ireland to “completely eliminate” all trade with Russia.

“They do have to do something very substantive today and tomorrow before more people are killed by rockets and bombs and missiles which are coming into Ukraine and bombing cities and towns.”

Ryanair has suspended all flights to and from Ukraine for at least the next 14 days.

In a statement, it said all affected passengers would receive email notices on Thursday morning.

All flights to and from the country have been removed from sale for at least the next four weeks until further information becomes available from EU safety agencies.

The airline says it remains committed to its services to and from Ukraine and it looks forward to restoring flight services as soon as it's safe to do so.

'Advice to Irish citizens there is to stay where you are and stay safe'

In an emotional interview with RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko said her thoughts this morning are with her country and her parents and family.

Her parents, who are in their 70s, live just 150km from the northern border of Ukraine, while her brother and his family live in Kyiv, which is one of the cities in which explosions were heard in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“I’m so emotional,” she said.

“I’m really shocked. Actually, my parents live 150km from the northern border of Ukraine and they are shocked of course.

"It’s hard to believe that it is happening in the 21st century."

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said there were two diplomats in Kyiv and two Irish families currently in the country in relation to surrogacy. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA Wire

It is estimated that there are 70 Irish citizens in Ukraine. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said there are two diplomats in Kyiv and two Irish families currently in the country in relation to surrogacy.

Currently, it is not possible to fly out of Ukraine now as the airspace is not safe so anyone leaving Ukraine will be doing so by road. 

Contingency plans are in place and Irish citizens have been advised to stay where they are and to stay safe.

“I think you can expect hundreds of thousands of people to be planning to leave Ukraine but the advice to Irish citizens there is to stay where you are and stay safe,” he said.

And obviously, we'll continue to advise them. We also have some families — two families that are in Ukraine in relation to surrogacy services, and we are working with those families.

“I don't want to go into the individual details about what we're staying in very close contact with them, as you would expect."

He said they would act in a way that maintains the safety of our people and they will continue to advise Irish citizens in Ukraine.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is closely monitoring the situation and advised all Irish citizens currently in Ukraine to shelter in a secure place, "given the security situation there".

However, citizens should consider leaving Ukraine if they judge it safe to do so, depending on their location and prevailing circumstances.