Singaporean Ix Shen, who escaped Ukraine's capital Kyiv, feels guilty for drinking a cappuccino as the war rages on

SINGAPORE - Singaporean Ix Shen, who left his home in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Tuesday (March 8) amid the war with the country's neighbour Russia, has reached the city of Lviv.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv is around 70km from the border the country shares with Poland and about 553km from Kyiv.

In the latest of his daily Instagram updates on Thursday (March 10), the 50-year-old former actor, who had lived in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife for four months, said he has seen a large influx of Ukrainians who are also escaping the Russia invasion that started on Feb 24.

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Reassuring his followers that he was safe, he added that he feels guilty for drinking a cup of cappuccino as the war rages on.

"I'm really grateful that we could sleep quietly without explosions and air raid sirens, but at the same time also guilty that we're drinking cappuccino and walking in the park.

"But there have been air strikes on Lviv as well and the sudden influx of people into this city is straining on the city itself, so we are still evaluating all our available options and we're deciding and planning as we move along."

He said he has driven to Lviv as a valet driver for the car owner who lives there.

The mayor of Lviv said on Monday (March 7) the city had reached the limits of its capacity to help people who have been displaced and appealed to international organisations for help.

According to reports, Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said several hundred thousand people had already passed through Lviv as they headed west seeking safety. Some 200,000 internally displaced persons were now staying in Lviv, and 50,000 were going through Lviv railway station daily.

Since the war erupted on Feb 24, more than two million people have fled Ukraine, and around 1.8 million people have been displaced, according to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.