"Didn't Know What To Take": Spring Brings Grief For Ukraine's Displaced

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine has in recent days warned residents of the east to evacuate as soon as possible to escape a feared Russian assault.

Outside a shelter for the displaced in western Ukraine, 84-year-old retired schoolteacher Veronika recounts how she and her family had to travel more than 1,000 kilometres to safety.

They fled Russian fire on their city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donbas region by bus and by train this week, as she turned 84.

"For my birthday, I left," she said.

Just hours after arriving during the night in the city of Lviv, Veronika sat in the spring sun, clutching a plastic cup of warm tea.