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Irina and Anastasia travel home to Ukraine Anastasia and Irina fled the war. Now they travel back to it. Photo: ScanpixPhoto: ScanpixUkrainian Irina, Anastasia and their two respective daughters are facing a long journey. From a bus stop in North Jutland, they set course for a Ukraine where the war is still raging. Two months ago, Anastasia Strilenko and her three-year-old daughter, Olga, as well as Irina Vasileva and her 10-year-old daughter, Marina, set foot on Danish soil. In recent weeks, they have lived at an after-school center in Nørager in North Jutland. More and more Ukrainians have started traveling back to their own country. According to Polish border police, more than 279,000 Ukrainian nationals entered Ukraine in April alone. In the two months that Anastasia Strilenko and Irina Vasileva and their daughters have been in Denmark, the men have been in Ukraine. Phone calls are no longer enough. The hometown of Poltava is located 150 kilometers west of Kharkiv. Right now it is relatively quiet in the hometown, but there is no guarantee that security will last. The first stop on the 3,000-kilometer journey is the small Polish town, Hala Kijowska. It is located five kilometers from the border crossing with Ukraine. Two days after Irina, Anastasia and the children left the after-school center in North Jutland, they are on Ukrainian soil for the first time in two months. In Poltava, Victor Vasiliev stands ready with flowers in his arms and nerves outside his clothes. He is Irina's husband and Marina's father. Victor and Irina talk regularly on the phone together to coordinate where and when the bus arrives. The bus is now in sight and drives into the parking lot, where both Irina's husband and Anastasia's parents are waiting. After two months of separation, the families are now reunited. And there is a 10-year-old girl who has a hard time hiding her excitement about having dad close again. Anastasia and her daughter Olga go home to their parents who live in the countryside, where they assess that the risk of air sirens is less. At home in the apartment Irina and Marina Vasileva left two months ago, the daughter is excited about revisiting her own room, while mother Irina immediately goes into the kitchen. Although it's good to be home again, Irina Vasileva is well aware that it is not without risk that she has returned to Ukraine. But right now, there are no air sirens or bombings, and for the first time in several months, the family is going to eat a meal together. The menu is borscht or beetroot soup, which is the Ukrainian national dish. 10-year-old Marina Vasileva has taken a souvenir home. A small part of Denmark is allowed to adorn the family home in Ukraine. Although there are areas in Ukraine such as Poltava where the war is not immediately apparent, it is still present. If nothing else in the consciousness of the people. Even in Russia, everyday life is not unaffected by the war. Story by: Journalists: Isabella Tvede, Adnan Sircic. Graphic artist: Diede Linnet Van de Mosselaar.