Ukraine: 'The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming'

Karolina Davison has lived on the Isle of Man for 17 years

A Ukrainian woman living on the Isle of Man has said she feels overwhelmed by a "feeling of helplessness" as she watches the Russian invasion from afar.

Karolina Davison moved to the island 17 years ago and is originally from Chernivtsi, a city in western Ukraine.

She said: "It's tragic, it's horrific, you can't even describe it."

Manx community groups have been showing support for people in Ukraine as attacks are intensifying on key cities.

More than one million people have already fled the country and hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed.

Ms Davison, who runs an ice-cream company with her husband in Peel, has regularly been speaking to family in Ukraine to get updates on their situation.

'Stand together'

"The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming," she said, adding: "This morning as I spoke to my family the air raid alarm went off so I had to get off the phone."

She said waiting to hear back from them was the "longest ten minutes of my life".

Ms Davison and her family are flying both the Manx and Ukrainian flags outside their home

Ms Davison said it was "heartbreaking" trying to explain what was going on to her seven-year-old daughter.

"She was asking whether the Russians will get as far as my town because she doesn't want [our family] to die," she said.

"You have that fear but you have to put a brave face on and say everything is going to be ok, and you put her to bed and then you go off somewhere to cry."

More coverage of war in Ukraine

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• THE BASICS: Why is Putin invading Ukraine?

• RUSSIA: Watching the war on TV

• UKRAINE: 'I have never felt so much love for my homeland'

• IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict

She and her husband have created a yellow and blue ice-cream to be sold in Peel to raise money for "the orphanages and the people who have been displaced, people and animals".

Ms Davison said she remained "hopeful and defiant".

"I'd like to thank everyone who stands with Ukraine... We should all stand together now."