Safe at last! Donegal man recounts Ukrainian parents-in-law's perilous escape

A Donegal Town man is feeling hugely relieved and grateful after his Ukrainian parents-in-law completed an epic four-day journey of 1,960km to reach safety.

Mike Mulligan from the Barnesmore area lives in Dublin with his wife Natasha. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, their main concern has been Natasha’s parents Dima and Zoia who had been living in the eastern part of the country. Their hometown was very much in the warzone and it was a terrifying time for everyone involved. 

Despite not knowing when or where Dima and Zoia would be able to cross the border, the Donegal Town man and his wife flew out to eastern Europe to do everything they could to help. 

Outlining the tense and frightening events of the last few weeks, Mr Mulligan said Dima and Zoia’s journey was a remarkable feat for two people in their seventies. Like so many stories emerging from Ukraine, it involved good fortune and the kindness of strangers.

“We had been trying to find a way out [for them] for some time,” said Mr Mullighan.

“Their town rail line was damaged so the train wasn't an option.”

Events took a terrifying turn when the elderly couple’s home town of Severodonetsk suffered a major assault on March 8. The building they were living in was hit. Fortunately, a neighbour who lived nearer ground level in the same building had already given them sanctuary in her apartment. They were not injured despite the top floor of the building being badly damaged. 

The following day, evacuation minibuses brought civilians, including Dima and Zoia from Severodonetsk to Slovyansk which was considered safer. Mr Mulligan points out that ‘safe’ is a very relative term in Ukraine at present. 

“Slovyansk had a working railway line but the evacuation trains were usually full,” he said. 

“Thankfully the charity looking after the refugees there arranged to have trains stop with empty carriages which could take some people.

“At 9am on Thursday they boarded a train west. The train was crowded, ten people for each cabin that normally takes four.  

“We did not know the route and weren't 100% on the destination, but they had been told Uzhgorod. It was at this point, Natasha and I started to work out how we could meet them at the border.”

The train didn’t make any stops but Zoia was able to text his daughter and son-in-law as they passed through stations, keeping them up to date on the route and their progress.

“Because of the geography of Ukraine - big river down the middle - there are only a couple of main train routes,” explained Mr Mulligan.

“We could see they would pass through Kharkiv and Kyiv, both cities under fire so that was worrying.

“It took most of the day to get from Slovyansk to Kharkiv to Polatava to Kyiv. 

“They passed through Kyiv during the night and they lost phone signal at that time - not surprising, but still a scary time. 

“After Kyiv, things were a little more relaxed though there were still some hours to go.”

The next leg was Kyiv to Lviv to Ushgorod where they finally arrived on Friday afternoon after a train  journey lasting more than 30 hours. 

At Uzhgorod, Natasha's sister Tatyana was able to find someone who was able to meet Dima and Zoia. This person brought them the last few kilometres to the Slovakian border at a small village called Veľké Slemence.  

The next step was a four-hour wait to get through the border due to the large number of people trying to cross. 

“Finally on the other side we were able to meet them,” said Mr Mulligan.

Their relief was immense, though the journey was not yet over.

“From there, we had a 90 minute drive to our hotel in Košice, Slovakia,” continued Mr Mulligan. 

“There were no flights out on Saturday, so the last step was a 270km drive to Budapest airport and our flight home on Sunday night.  

“In all they were travelling for four days and 1,960 kilometres over land. I am in awe of how they managed such a journey.”

The family are extremely grateful to everyone who helped and supported Dima and Zoia through the nightmare of the last few weeks since their homeland was invaded.

One particularly touching moment was when they arrived back in Ireland to find that their neighbour had wrapped Ukrainian flags around all the trees in their street to welcome Dima and Zoia.

“There were so many acts of kindness everywhere,” said Mr Mulligan. “Also, we want to say thank you to all of our friends and family here. We read all the comments, messages, likes and reactions. 

“They lifted our spirits in the lowest of times.”

While Dima and Zoia are now safe, the terror and upheaval for them and their family and friends in Ukraine has been imaginable. 

With very real fears of chemical weapons being used, many people in Ukraine remain in danger. Millions of others are still trying to flee, often without the sanctuary of family abroad. 

It is clear that this is a cause very close to Mr Mulligan’s heart. He is encouraging people who wish to gain a better understanding of the situation to join the Facebook group Irish Supporters of Ukraine

It gives a sense of the scale of the problem and the type of practical help that people need or can offer.