Sean Moncrieff in Ukraine

It’s estimated that eight million Ukrainians have fled their homes from the worst-affected provinces. Some towns and cities have been under constant shelling since last February, so many people headed as far west as they could away from the Russian border – these are called IDPs: internally displaced people. Many also arrived in the capital Kyiv where the air defense systems are better, and the alerts give citizens time to get to a shelter when there is a threat. They feel safer in the capital. A spilno is a child-focused place where families who’ve left their homes can come to take a rest, play together, and get professional advice around supports and therapy. Unicef has many of these dotted in towns and villages all over Ukraine. Sitting at a table, Sean met Irina, a mother of three who fled the Mykolaiv region early last summer. She started by telling Sean about their journey. For more on Sean’s week in Kyiv, go to newstalk.com/moncrieffinukraine