Ukraine invasion: Ukrainian grandmother's fears for family

A Ukrainian grandmother living in Northern Ireland says she is "very scared" for her family as they try to escape the conflict in her home country.

Oksana Wilson's daughter and grandsons, aged six and 12, are attempting to flee and travel to Northern Ireland.

They are trying to make their way from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to Poland.

There is intense fighting across Ukraine after Russia invaded the country on Thursday.

Overnight the city was hit by blasts, with at least one block of flats damaged and several civilians injured, although Russia has denied carrying out strikes.

The second day of fighting saw tanks enter the capital, Kyiv, for the first time.

Russia is continuing its assault from the north, south and east.

Volunteers with no combat experience have been seen queueing to join the Ukrainian defence, while age restrictions for joining the army have been dropped.

Ukrainian officials said they have handed out 18,000 guns to volunteers, as well as issuing instructions on how to make petrol bombs.

Analysts suggest Russia's advance has been slowed by fierce resistance.

A senior US official told Reuters news agency that Russia had encountered more resistance than anticipated, robbing the Russian force of momentum.

Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian flights.

Hundreds of people gathered at Belfast City Hall on Friday evening to show their solidarity with Ukraine and their opposition to the Russian invasion.

Iuliia Wilson helped organise the show of solidarity in Belfast

One of the organisers, Iuliia Wilson, is from the Donbas region of Ukraine and living in Northern Ireland.

She said she feared for her family as did others at the event.

"People are actually scared, there are no words to describe it to be honest with you," she said.

"We feel that we are really, in a way, helpless.

"But we can't just sit down and do nothing, at least when we are standing up, we can speak so the world can hear us."

A demonstration takes place at Belfast City Hall

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Ms Wilson, who lives in Richhill in County Armagh, has been in Northern Ireland for 12 years with her husband.

She said her family in Kyiv woke up to the sound of explosions early on Thursday morning and a missile landed 200m (220yds) from their home.

She said that on Friday at 06:00 local time they decided to flee after her daughter Maryna heard news that Russian forces were getting closer to Kyiv and some had already entered the city.

"They packed not so much, they took everything they could. The car is not so big and they want to take a flight so there was no point in taking so much," Mrs Wilson said.

She said it was heart-breaking to watch her daughter's home being attacked.

Oksana Wilson's daughter Maryna is trying to flee the country to get her family to safety

"My daughter's life is there, I have a brother and a nephew and friends there. Kyiv is her home, it's terrible," she said.

"I couldn't sleep all night, just all the thoughts and worrying about them."

Visa concerns

On Thursday, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said his government would waive visa requirements for all Ukrainian citizens entering the Republic of Ireland.

In the UK, visa applications from Ukraine for people who are not related to British nationals are currently suspended, meaning there is no legal route for them to enter the UK and claim asylum.

Mrs Wilson urged the UK government to also allow emergency visas for Ukrainians.

She said her daughter applied for visas online for her family to enter the UK but "it takes so long and she couldn't give up her passport because she needs it in this emergency case to leave the country".

She said her daughter works a lawyer in Kyiv and would like to return to Ukraine to practice law there.

"She doesn't have a degree in British or Irish law so there's not much for her to do here," Mrs Wilson added.

"She has a good job, she just bought a new apartment and invested everything she had, now she has to leave it all behind."

'Queuing up to fight'

Michael Baskin, who is Ukrainian and lives in Swords on the outskirts of Dublin, said his sister was among preparing to leave his home country.

"The Ukrainian government is making sure roads are free for the military and for civilians which may have to emigrate from immediate danger," he told BBC News NI.

"She is ready to leave her home - everything is packed, the car is fuelled."

Michael Baskin said a relative was among those queuing up to join the Ukraine army

When asked about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for citizens to help defend the country, Mr Baskin said he was proud of those who are stepping up.

"We all understand some people are not able to fight, some people are not prepared to fight," he said.

"But I know from speaking to people in Ukraine, in a small town, people have been queuing at the military office to sign up to the army.

"There's a ticket system in place and I have a distant relative who was there at 14:00 yesterday and he was [number] 1,700 in the queue.

"There were 1,700 men and women in front of him and there was a queue behind him as well."

BBC News NI also spoke to two people from Ukraine living in Lurgan, County Armagh, who have been trying to contact family in the country.

Oleg Shenkaruk has been calling his sister-in-law who lives near Kyiv.

"My parents-in-law they live beside a tube, [the] underground, and yesterday they had to go to the tube to be protected from bombing," he said.

"My father-in-law he is 70, it is just a terrible situation."

Oleg Shenkaruk has been calling his sister-in-law in Ukraine

His friend Kateryna Zaichyk has also been trying to get in touch with her family.

She said she had been using different methods of communication in a bid to contact them.

"I spoke to dad yesterday, but today he hasn't answered me yet," she said.

"I don't know, I am just worried because I don't know what is happening."