Great news.
Racheal Diyaolu, an Irish student who had been stuck in Ukraine, has safely made it to an EU border.
The 19-year-old Carlow woman was among a number of international students who were attempting to leave the country amid the Russian invasion.
A previous mission intended to rescue Racheal over the weekend failed after Russian troops shot at the rescue mission van. A second mission to evacuate Racheal got underway earlier this week.
Thankfully, Racheal has made it to safety.
Taking to Twitter, her sister Christiana shared the good news.
She wrote: "UPDATE: THEY'VE MADE IT TO AN EU BORDER!
"I could shout it from the hills. They have made it to the border and are making their way through now. I've been told not to reveal their exact location yet, until they've made it to safety."
She then added: "Next step Ireland."
https://twitter.com/PrincxssTiana/status/1501575461801017355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1501575461801017355%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rte.ie%2Fnews%2F2022%2F0309%2F1285389-rachael-diyaolu-ukraine%2F
Christiana also updated
RTÉ on her sister's situation, telling them: "They're freezing, but they're delighted.
"They've had to get out of their cars and walk the rest of the way because of the traffic. I think they're on foot."
Earlier today, Christiana told Morning Ireland that she had hopes that her sister would be evacuated from Ukraine today.
Racheal had previously issued a plea to the Irish Government, asking for help to leave Ukraine.
She said: "All we want to do is return home to our families and potentially continue our studies. I'm still trying to find ways to leave, still trying to find the safest options. We are just hanging in there and hoping for the best."
Since the Russian invasion of
Ukraine began, 2 million people have fled the country, and it's understood that half of them are children.
Millions more have been displaced within the country.
The
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that over 406 civilians have been killed in the conflict.
