'We need to stand together': From driving a truck in Laois to manning Ukraine's frontline

Maksym Savych (right) is among a wave of young Irish Ukrainians who returned to their native country in the days after the Russian invasion began

It's less than two weeks since he was driving a truck around Portlaoise - but today, Ukrainian Maksym Savych is a platoon commander armed with an assault rifle, who wears combat fatigues and a bulletproof vest, as he bunkers down in his nation’s capital preparing to defend the city and the country’s freedom.

Max, as he is known to his friends, is among a wave of young Irish Ukrainians who returned to their native country in the days after the Russian invasion began.