![\"Miche\u00e1l](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/we-hid-in-the-bathroom-taoiseach-told-as-he-meets-people-in-bomb-hit-kyiv.jpg\")
Miche\u00e1l Martin is shown the bomb-damaged Lukianivska district of Kyiv (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\nTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin has heard stories from Kyiv locals whose homes were damaged during Russian strikes.<\/p>\n
Martin heard from people in Lukianivska, a residential area with a tram route travelling through it that has been repeatedly hit by drone and missile strikes.<\/p>\n
Two serious attacks took place near the metro station in May \u2013 the biggest attack at that point \u2013 and the most recent one on July 19th, when 40 missiles were fired in approximately 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
Miche\u00e1l Martin is shown the bomb-damaged Lukianivska district of Kyiv (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\n
Marcel Grogan, Ukraine deputy representative at the United Nations refugee agency the UNHCR, said that in the first six months of 2026, Russia fired 520 ballistic missiles \u2013 double the number of the same period last year.<\/p>\n
In June, 300 civilians were killed by those strikes, and 3,000 were injured \u2013 the highest number since April 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a sense that the front line is quite static, but in terms of civilian casualties and attacks on civilians, it\u2019s actually increasing. So your support is all the more appreciated at this time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Liudmyla Vladyna said the night her apartment was hit was \u201cone of the worst nights of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cAt 2am, two loud explosions, windows were blown out, balconies fall away, we hid in the bathroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe survived, the children were not with us thankfully. In the morning it was horrible, my blood pressure skyrocketed, my heart was pounding like crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oleh Kutz said he was \u201cin despair\u201d when he went to see how his home was affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d he said as he praised the work of the UNHCR.<\/p>\n
Martin said it was reassuring to hear about the help of international organisations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland has had a longstanding relationship with UNHCR, and we will continue to support UNHCR. We will also continue to support organisations in Ukraine through our bilateral humanitarian supports and funding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain horrified at the appalling attacks on civilians in Ukraine and in Kyiv. It\u2019s very difficult for human beings to comprehend why a country or why a leader would authorise the bombing of civilian infrastructure and the killing of civilians when they\u2019re asleep at night in their homes and in their apartments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is shocking and it\u2019s important that I come and witness the experiences that you have had and many, many others that have been articulated to me by the organisations.<\/p>\n
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