Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, almost three million Ukrainians have fled the country and become refugees.
As fighting continues, data from the UN's refugee agency estimates this number could soon rise to four or five million.
While the majority of families fleeing the war have settled in neighbouring countries like Poland and Moldova, some have travelled further afield.
Oksana Kononets, a model from Ukraine, is one of the many who made the heartbreaking journey out of their home country to get to safety - and ended up in the US.
The 29-year-old, who is paralysed from the waist down, was living in Kyiv with her mum when the first missile strikes hit Ukraine. In the days leading up to the beginning of the invasion, they were already planning their escape.
She told PEOPLE magazine's TV show: "[My mother] packed our luggage, only one luggage, for two [people]."
The model added she and her mum made their way to the railway station, where there was a "big crowd" of people waiting to board.
After finally getting onto a train, Oksana and her mother rode for 11 long hours to reach the western border of the country.
When they arrived at the border, they travelled to The Netherlands, where a friend helped them secure a flight to the USA.
Wheelchair user Oksana has been paralysed since she was 19 years old, after a horror accident in 2012 when she fell from a fifth-floor apartment and injured her spine.
Since the accident, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a model and developed projects that increased visibility of people with disabilities in the fashion industry.
After war broke out Oksana was desperate to get to the US where she was due to compete in an annual fashion show hosted by Runway of Dreams, a charity that designs clothing for people with disabilities.
She said she wants to remind people in the fashion industry that there are plenty of people with disabilities who want to express themselves through clothes and accessories.
"The main message... is power, is beauty, and [equality]. For me, it's the main message because already people with disabilities want to be [beautiful], want to be in fashion, to wear beautiful clothes. This runaway show shows this," she said.
After taking part in the show, Oksana said she couldn't believe she'd made it to the US, but was "proud" of herself relieved she was "in safety."
While Ukraine remains under attack, she says the people of her country are "strong" and she believes they'll keep fighting for their freedom.
She said: "I want to say to people never give up. Never give up. Dreams come true."
