An Irish man living in Kyiv has called on the Irish Government to remove the requirement for visas in order to enter the country.
Brendan Murphy said he has been trying to get visas for himself, his wife Marina, and her daughter and granddaughter so they can leave Ukraine.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said that it was no problem for him to leave Ukraine, but he could not live with himself if he left his family behind.
Mr Murphy said Ireland is the only country that seeks visas and it can take a long time for documents to be approved.
He said he has been advised to leave the country, but he cannot abandon his family.
"How is God's name would you be able to live with yourself?," Mr Murphy said.
The only other option, he said, is for them to go to another European country and apply for a visa for Ireland from there.
However, they would have to pay costs to do that and still wait to see if they could get a visa to enter Ireland.
He said: "Every single European country, other than Ireland, is visa free. So you can go to any of those countries and then apply for a visa to Ireland.
"But we don't have the documents, we don't have the time. And if we arrive in a country we would have to pay for as long as it takes. And in any case, we would only have 90 days in that country and then we would have to return to Ukraine."
Mr Murphy told RTÉ News they are only looking for a 90-day visa free period in Ireland until the period of intensity in Ukraine becomes clear.
Ireland is the odd one out in Europe, he said, and this "nightmare" could easily be fixed.
Mr Murphy said no one in Ukraine is panicking and they are staying calm because they "have to trust the military and they have to behave in a way that helps the country fight this terrible war".
Read more
Strong message needed to show Ireland's support of Ukraine - Taoiseach
Ukraine mobilises military reserves, urges citizens to leave Russian territory
In a statement, the Government said those who need help should contact the Irish embassy in Kyiv.
It said: "The Department of Justice, in co-operation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, is working to ensure that it can assist Irish citizens and their family members in Ukraine speedily and with flexibility.
"To date, family re-unification visas have already been granted in seven out of eight applications made in recent days. There is no backlog of outstanding visa applications.
"While Ukrainian nationals are not visa exempt to enter Ireland, given the current circumstances, all visa applications are being dealt with as quickly and as humanely as possible.
"This includes applications for non EEA family members of Irish citizens, which will be processed swiftly."
