EDIRNE, Turkiye

The large presence of Russian soldiers and constant bombings in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa have terrified everyone, particularly children, according to Alisa Sadiq, who traveled an arduous journey to Turkiye to escape the war, which entered its 11th day on Sunday.

"Bombs fell near our house. There were Russian soldiers everywhere. Our children were terrified," Alisa told Anadolu Agency about the situation in her hometown, where she and her family were forced to hide in their basement for four days before being driven to Istanbul, Turkiye's largest city.

Alisa traveled to Istanbul by car with her Pakistani husband, Muhammad Sadiq, and two children via the Hamzabeyli border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkiye.

"We drove through Romania and Bulgaria until we arrived in Turkiye," she explained.

Alisa, an Odessa schoolteacher, said that she and her family would prefer to stay in Istanbul until the war was over.

"When the attacks began, we looked for a secure spot," she said, describing the condition of other people in the city who were similarly concerned about their safety throughout the war. Finally, they decided to take refuge in their home's basement. "We stayed in the small room for four days," she recalled.

'Women, children coming to Turkiye'

Sofia Boykov, Irina Boykov, Alla Baykhovenko, and Omer Gunay, all of whom used to live in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, are among those who escaped to Turkiye.

The fight in the capital is intensifying with each passing day, Sofia Boykov told reporters in Istanbul.

"The city was becoming more dangerous, so we decided to travel to Turkiye," she explained. "I left my husband there. He will fight if necessary, as men remain in Kyiv to defend the country," Boykov said emphatically.

Referring to the influx of women and children to Turkiye, she said, "My daughter was also born in this country. That's why we decided to come here."

She urged all Turkish citizens to share more posts on Russia's attacks on Ukraine in order to help them make their voices heard around the world.

‘My mom cooks for soldiers’

"My mother cooks for soldiers, and my father helps them at fight," said Gunay, who traveled alone, leaving his parents in Kyiv behind to defend the nation, and expressed his thanks to Turkiye for opening its arms to Ukrainians in this difficult time.

Gunay, who was born in Kyiv to a Turkish father and a Ukrainian mother, said his parents chose to stay despite his efforts to persuade them to flee amid constant bombing and fighting.

"However, if the situation worsens, they will also come to Turkiye," he added.

Another Ukrainian fleeing the war, Baykhovenko, said the Russians bombed places with civilian populations, killing people, including children.

She said that she left her husband in Ukraine and came to Turkiye with her young daughter and that she would stay with her friends in the Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris until the war ends.

Many people died in her homeland as a result of the war, said Irina Saykov, another Ukrainian, holding back her tears. Life under the bombs was quite difficult, she added.

At least 351 civilians, including 22 children and 41 women, have been killed, and 707 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war in the Eastern European country on Feb. 24, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.

More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the latest data by the UN refugee agency showed.

The Russian attacks have been met by an outcry from the international community, with the EU, UK, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions against Moscow.

*Writing by Merve Berker in Ankara