Some of the first Ukrainian refugees have found sanctuary in Australia as the Russian-Ukraine war continues to escalate. Maryna Tyshchenko, a Ukrainian Australian resident, was on the brink of tears when reuniting with her sister and mother at Sydney airport on March. 6. Raisa Ptashnyk, 58, and Iryna Ptashnyk, 30, spent their last night in a bomb shelter at their home in Kyiv. After being granted Australian visas last week, they packed a small suitcase with documents and some clothes on March 2, before embarking on a five-day journey to flee their homeland. “I was about to cry and I was surprised, we were just happy… this war, we got stronger I think—because we are stronger we didn’t cry,” Tyshchenko told AAP. Her mother and sister are among more than 1.5 million Ukrainians estimated to have run away from their country since the Russia-Ukraine situation deteriorated, with the department of …