The war started for 18-year-old Illia Demianyk just like it did for many Ukrainians: with the sound of air raid sirens at 5am. There had been rumours, but no one really believed them.

Like the rest of his countrymen and women, his life changed overnight. Soon, the university where he had been studying law shut down, and people flooded his hometown of Poltava fleeing the invasion some 150 km east.

Poltava was a city of 300,000 inhabitants before the war – roughly the size of Milton Keynes.

In mere days, the city doubled in size. Streets were packed with cars. People stood in endless queues across the city. They needed shelter, food, and money. They waited hopelessly for help from overwhelmed local services.

“They were all searching for a safe place,” recounts Illia, now 22 years old.

In these first few days, his phone kept buzzing, his Telegram messaging app lighting up with dozens of notifications. It seemed that the entire city was posting in various groups, trying to figure out how to help.

“My aunt told me about a group of friends who were volunteering, it all spread through word of mouth very quickly.”