Louise Walsh
A brave 70-year-old Ukrainian widow has told her daughter she is ready to fight the Russians and sacrifice her life to give children a chance to survive in the embattled country.
Luba Healy has revealed her mum Nina has a wheelbarrow and blanket at the front door to wheel her 98-year-old nan Galina to safety as Russian forces edge closer to her hometown.
However, her mam has refused Luba's attempts to get both of them safely home to Trim, Co Meath where Luba has lived for the last 22 years.
"The Russian army is now less than two hours away from my home of Haivron and my mam is texting him every hour to say they are ok and they love us.
"I hope the texts are not her way of saying goodbye.
"My husband Eugene and I have been trying to persuade them to leave, but she says she is not going anywhere. My nan has started asking questions about what is going on and why neighbours are calling all the time, but mam is hiding it all from her.
"My nan used to carry ammunition through the night to help Russian and Ukrainian soldiers in World War II. She has already lived through the horrors of war and mam is afraid that telling her of another war might affect her fragile health.
"A lot of people in Poland have contacted me and offered a bed for my mam and nan, but our mam won't go.
Fleeing corruption
"She says she is staying put and will fight if she has to. She says she has lived her life and wants the young people and children to have a chance of life.
"If a 70-year-old woman is willing to fight against an army, what does that say?"
Luba, who is planning manager of Trimfold Envelopes and came here two decades ago to flee corruption in her home country, says her initial tears have been replaced with anger.
"I was talking to someone the other day who told me that although they felt sorry for me, they liked Putin. They proceeded to talk about following the Russian news and all the persecution faced in the rebel states.
" I am not a violent person, but I said that if Putin was in front of me, I'd jump on him and chew until I could feel bone. That's how angry I am.
"My mum is very optimistic though and says that there are a lot of people just standing in front of tanks saying they can't do really anything, but they'll stand there if and until the tanks run over them.
"She is hearing missiles now over the house but at present, none has targeted the town.
"I'm told there are a lot of Russians who don't want to fight but are just obeying orders. If only they would all just refuse those orders.
"I've three young children and my six-year-old has an idea of what is going on. She is crying regularly because she doesn't want to lose the only nana she has left."
