A Ukrainian woman living the north-east broke down in tears as she described what her family back home are facing.
Valeriia Robins has been in touch with her parents in Kyiv, and was heartbroken to hear that her brother has been called up.
He has been told to take his passport and report to the Army, amid speculation that Russia will strike again tonight.
Mrs Robins, who is originally from Donetsk in the east of Ukraine but now lives in Stonehaven, said her parents are staying in their flat but know of many people who are hiding underground, or at a train station.
Mrs Robins, who used to run business Robin Crafts, said: “It’s horrible, I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now.
“I’ve managed to speak to my family, and my younger brother has been told to get to the army as soon as he can.
“My parents have decided to stay, but there’s lots of shouting and banging – it has reminded them of Chernobyl. Everyone is waiting for the next attack.”
‘They are scared and they are sad’
Mrs Robins said the tight-knit Ukrainian community in the north-east had rallied together to support one another.
She added it was particularly hard as her family had already fled from Donetsk in 2014, when pro-Russian separatists declared a people’s republic.
“They’ve already done this once, they don’t want to go again and again.”
Meanwhile, a Cromarty woman who spent more than a decade teaching in Ukraine said it was “very hard” to see events unfold.
Katy Hourston moved to Kyiv with her husband in 2009 to work in one of the city’s international schools.
The couple ended up staying for 12 years, with both their children, now aged seven and 10, growing up in the Ukrainian capital, until the family left last summer.
She said she had been hearing from some of her former students.
“They have messaged me to say that they are packing their bags to leave Kyiv. They are scared and they are sad – it breaks my heart.
“I have spent a lot of time today communicating with our local friends. All of the foreigners that we know in Kyiv have been able to leave.
‘Our hearts break for Ukraine’
“Our local friends are already home. Many don’t want to leave. Some have gone to local hospitals to give blood already.
“Some are scared to be called up, some are volunteering to fight. Some are stuck in the traffic jams trying to find a way out of Kyiv.
“Leaving Kyiv was very hard for us, but not being there right now is also hard.
“We are very grateful to be safe, but our hearts break for Ukraine and our friends.”
Ms Hourston said the Ukranian people were among the “warmest and most caring” she had ever met, although they can initially be wary of strangers.
The family watched the country begin to transform itself while they lived there, including during the “scary but also inspirational” Euro Maidan demonstrations which began in 2013.
“Ukrainian people know what they want. They are strong and they are stubborn, ” she said
“They will fight for what is right and they will not give up. They are very proud of their country, although they recognise it is not perfect.
“Ukraine is deeply divided and yet has begun to embrace the diversity in its borders.”
