Tetiana Olkhovikova lived in Kyiv in a high-rise building.

On the evening of February 23, she sat in her kitchen and prepared documents for the court process, drank tea, looked at the lights of the big city and planned her future.

Tetiana is a successful young lawyer in the field of judicial law.

On the morning of February 24, flashes of rocket fire around Kyiv and explosions could be seen and heard from the windows of her house. The war began. Life changed in an instant.

For several nights, the young woman and her boyfriend spent time in the basement, because it was dangerous to stay in the apartment on the 24th floor.

Especially when a Russian missile hit the ninth floor of a building a few blocks away from Tetiana.

Then they decided to go to western Ukraine. Evacuation trains going from the capital to western Ukraine were full of people. People travelled for many hours while standing, there was no place to sit down. Suitcases that did not fit on the train were simply left on the railway station platform. Tetiana spent 12 hours in such a train standing in the corridor.

All the time, she, as a lawyer, thought that all norms of international law, all laws on people's rights were destroyed by the Russians overnight.

All that knowledge she received at the University and relied on in her professional activities, turned out to be worthless.

Tetiana experienced a strong emotional upheaval when she realised that the laws no longer protect the lives and dignity of people, nor their property or business. Everything collapsed because of the brutal aggression of the Russian army.

Once in Ireland, Tetiana worked for a while in a cafe, but realised that she would be more useful in her main specialty as a lawyer.

Therefore, the young woman decided to help Ukrainians who, like her, face many legal issues here in Ireland every day.

"How to get a residence permit, how to organise your own business, how to arrange for the children to move, how to pay taxes, how to find a place to rent?" and many other "hows" she began to explain on her Instagram page ‘From_Ukraine_to_Ireland’.

Her audience is growing every day, in four months there are already more than 4,000 subscribers.

Currently, Tatyana conducts live broadcasts for Ukrainians in Ireland and Ukraine, records videos, explaining basic legal issues.

Every day, she receives more and more questions from Ukrainians. To do this, Tetiana studies the legislation of Ireland and helps her compatriots find answers and understand the legislation in the new country.
She also founded a Telegram channel for lawyers from Ukraine, where they discuss professional issues and plan professional development.

Soon Tetiana is going to a conference in Dublin. Her goal is to improve her English and find a job in a law firm.

She will be happy if she can work for a law firm in Ireland. She believes that providing advice to newly arrived Ukrainians in Ireland can become a separate area of ​​local law firms.

Tetiana still believes that laws exist to protect people and make their lives comfortable and orderly.

Tetiana does not hide that sometimes it is very difficult for her emotionally: a foreign country, separation from home and loved ones, a new life in which you cannot plan anything in advance.

Tetiana admits that she would like to return to her past life, on the day of February 23, when she spent the evening in her cozy kitchen. But she is forced to get up and move on. Walking in the park, running and cycling help her in this.