Ukrainians are fleeing their homeland in massive numbers. Many of them faced with the tough decision to leave their families behind.
Among them was Khrystyna, a Ukrainian journalist, who fled to Poland amid fears that she wouldn't be able to continue her reporting in Ukraine. She eventually made it Rome, but her family has decided to stay behind and contribute to the war effort.
KHRYSTYNA GOLOVKO
Ukrainian journalist in Rome
'My mom is a nurse, she is helping people, and also my brother is helping people and they decided to be in the country and defend and help the army, and I think many people in the country do the same.'
After the invasion Khrystyna says her role quickly changed, from writing lifestyle articles to guides on how to seek shelter and talk to children about war.
She says that now more than ever the work of journalists in Ukraine is essential, something Pope Francis alluded to in his Sunday Angelus.
POPE FRANCIS
'I want to thank the journalists for putting their lives at risk to inform the public.'
Conditions are not easy for the journalists still in Ukraine who must work near immediate danger and are combating waves of disinformation being spread online.
KHRYSTYNA GOLOVKO
Ukrainian journalist in Rome
'Many of our colleagues are in Kyiv, they work with bomb attacks, but they're working.' 'Russia makes fake accounts and we try to defend our sites and try to write news, and try to explain about situation in Ukraine.'
As a result, Khrystyna's newspaper, Ukrayinsʹka Pravda, has launched an English version of their site since the invasion, so that foreigners can find news on the war in Ukraine from reliable sources.
Even from afar, she continues to provide valuable information to foreigners and Ukrainians alike, and play her part in supporting her country in a time of war.
JM
