As millions of refugees flee the violence in Ukraine, one North Queensland mother is planning to head straight towards it.
For Yuliia Kuzma, the decision to leave her young twins and fly towards the unknown is a heartbreaking one.
But she says it's what she needs to do.
"[The twins] ask me every day, 'Mum, Mum ... when will my big brother be here?" Ms Kuzma said.
Finding Maxim
The conflict might seem a world away for many Australians, but for Ms Kuzma's family in Proserpine it's constantly in their thoughts.
Ms Kuzma migrated to Australia from Ukraine in 2015 and started the process to adopt Maxim, her biological nephew, in 2018.
"My sister had a drug addiction," she said.
"I tried to help and save her but she explained to me, she wished a better life for Maxim and she knew with me it would be better."
Her sister has since passed away.
Since the adoption was finalised in late 2020, Ms Kuzma has been unable to travel to Ukraine to bring Maxim, now 12, to Australia due to complications with border closures.
He had been living with a close friend of Ms Kuzma's in Kharkiv. But after Russian attacks, parts of the city lay in ruins.
"Her husband is a police officer, he's not going to leave," Ms Kuzma said.
"And she has a mum — she said, 'I'm not going to go anywhere without them.'"
Due to the dangers, Maxim and his guardian left the city for a safer place in western Ukraine.
Between shifts at a bakery and caring for her twins, Ms Kuzma has been trying to do what feels like "the impossible" — getting Maxim out of Ukraine.
"It is like a cold shock, you feel goosebumps … it's like heartbreak," she said.
She is planning to fly to a nearby country to help him cross the border but isn't sure exactly where she should go.
Maxim's guardian doesn't want to leave the country.
"When [they] ran away from Kharkiv, they couldn't get the chance to get all of their documents," she said.
This included COVID vaccine certificates and Maxim's international passport.
Her twins, seven-year-old Annabelle and Alexander, just want to see their big brother safe.
Alexander said when he spoke with Maxim on the phone, he said, "I love him so much".
When they ask their mum when they'll see him again, she puts on a brave face.
Longing for that hug
Ms Kuzma continues to communicate with Maxim's legal guardian about the best time for her to go.
She's driven by one thing — to see her son safe.
"It will be a painful hug, I will squash him, everyone here will squash him," she said.
"Our community knows me, they know my story.
"Our community is a gem, a piece of gold. I feel so much support.
"I'm pretty sure people will just come here to say 'hi' because people are so worried about Maxim.
