Refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine ahead of Russian push on Kyiv find safety on border with Slovakia

This is the heart-breaking scene this morning (tues) as thousands of desperate refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine finally reached the safety of neighbouring Slovakia.

Weary families - mainly women and children - cradled blankets as they braved below freezing temperatures to cross the border with Slovakia throughout the night.

They are among thousands of refugees who travelled for hours to escape Ukraine as Russia’s war effort intensified and a huge military convoy headed for Kyiv.

As the sun rose this morning (Mar 1), people emerged from large communal tents provided at a makeshift camp on the border town of Vyšné Nemecké in Slovakia.

Aid workers on 12-hour shifts greeted new arrivals, who were offered support with finding accommodation, food and warmth.

Erik Herceg, 40, who volunteers with the Red Cross, said that some had queued for up to 12 hours to cross the border on foot.

Erik, an IT consultant, said: “Mothers are crossing with children in their hands with one bag of the last things they could take with them.”

Merei Khbeiz, 27, a software engineer, fled from the Ukrianian city of Lviv to the border with his brother and godfather.

He said: “We had to leave because it wasn’t safe.

“The enemy wasn’t there yet but the [Ukrainian] Army was in the streets looking out for them.”

Some relatives waited overnight in lines of cars to greet loved ones crossing the border, which is manned by armed police and Slovakian military.

Others refugees huddled near the crossing point as they waited for government buses to take them to their accommodation.

Many new arrivals have booked hotels in Slovakia while others have been offered temporary housing and transport by residents from Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany, aid workers said.

Lorries continued to cross into Ukraine’s border town of Uzhgorod as scores of refugees travelled the opposite direction.