Ukrainians in Ireland: ‘Thousands of people my age are dying. We need a lasting peace’

Four years ago, life changed forever for Ukrainians as Russia launched its invasion. Liz Dunphy spoke with three women living here who are hoping for peace

Nadia Dobrianska — a fluent Irish speaker who had studied in Belfast — fled Kyiv for Cork as Russian bombs began to fall on February 24, 2022. Picture: Chani Anderson

Four years ago tomorrow, Nadia Dobrianska fled Ukraine as the first bombs began to explode in Kyiv, her home city. 

“It felt like losing a limb on the first day of the war,” she said. “I felt like something was dying in me.”