A Ukrainian national in Swindon has spoken of her mum's daring escape from Kyiv.

Lesia Mosalenco is originally from the Ukrainian capital, but has lived in Swindon for the past three years.

After an emotional reunion in neighbouring Romania today Lesia said: "I can't express in words how it feels to hug my mum, who had to flee away from the war.

"Mum who I feared I would never see again. Mum cries a lot, because of stress she experienced. Last time I saw her was a month ago in Kyiv, and she looks 10 years older now. I'm the only daughter and she's incredibly precious to me."

Kyiv is under heavy attack from Russian troops, who are currently trying to take control following an invasion that started on Thursday.

Lesia said on first night of the bombing in Kyiv, a building near where her mother Lyuda lived was shelled by Russian forces and she had to seek safety in a bomb shelter.

“People were panicking, scared and stressed. There’s not so much space to accommodate all people, vulnerable people, kids etc.” she said.

Lesia told her mum to take a train to the western part of Ukraine close to the Romanian border.

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Lyuda heard there was at train going to Kam’yanets’-Podil’s’kyi, a city 120km from the Romanian border.

“She left her cat and everything and took a backpack with documents," said Lesia.

“She got herself to the train station and at the last minute, she jumped on the train. There was a fight because of the panic, everybody wanted to escape."

She finally arrived in the city at midnight and stayed at a church overnight. The following morning Lyuda was taken by minibus to Chernivtsi, a city close to the Romanian border, where she stayed overnight.

A taxi from Chernivtsi to towards the Romanian border followed.

But because Ukrainian men aren’t allowed to leave the country, Lesia’s mum had to make the rest of the journey on foot, walking for three hours to reach the Romanian border.

“With all of this we did not sleep for a couple of days, we did nothing," said Lesia.

“She was totally exhausted. People were crying. The border control were shooting into the air, just to calm down people. It was just a bit Hell over there.  

“I still have my friends and some relatives who are still stuck in Ukraine,” Lesia added.

She had managed to speak to her mother since the crossing.

“She cried most of the time, but I called her quite often. People in the hotel, they help her a lot. They help her to buy essentials like shampoo etc. She also has a health condition, so she is quite vulnerable.”

Today Lesia and her fiancée Vadym Gurevych flew to Romania to greet her.

Now a refugee, Lyuda said: "First I had to run away from the best place on earth for me - Kyiv. But then I had to run with just a bag with documents, sleep in a church, walk to the border.

"But the welcoming that was given by the Romanian people was unbelievable, I'm so touched. Especially a Romanian volunteer Emanuel who met me, and looked after me, who contacted us on Facebook."

They plan to fly back to the UK tomorrow.