"Four years on from the invasion, we talk to the Ukrainians who have settled in Co Kerry, why they chose to come here, the heartbreaking stories from their homeland, and dealing with the 'small percentage of haters'"
"The vast majority of the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who now live in Ireland could never have imagined they would still be here four years after the full-scale invasion of their country by Russia."
"They were like the unfortunate soldiers at the front in World War I who, at the conflict's outbreak in the summer of 1914, thought it would be all over by Christmas."
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians relocated to Ireland after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Many remain four years on, having not expected the conflict to last so long. A number settled in County Kerry, drawn by safety, housing, or community connections. Displaced people carry heartbreaking personal losses and face long-term integration and recovery challenges. A small percentage of locals express hostility, adding to difficulties. Comparisons to early wartime optimism, such as soldiers believing the war would end quickly, underscore how expectations were overturned and resilience became essential.
Read at Independent
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