Ukrainians in New Zealand are "very concerned" about family back home, as tension between the eastern European country and Russia mount.
Russia has been conducting war drills in Belarus this week, with thousands of soldiers, alongside armour, vehicles, and aircraft, massing on the Ukrainian border.
NATO and its allies are concerned this is the precursor to an invasion - the US has already sent military aid to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and has 8500 soldiers on "high alert".
Tanya Khrustalyova and Anton Stafurin moved to New Zealand from Zaporizhzhia in 2001 but are concerned for friends back home - including Anton's godson, who is in the Ukrainian armed forces.
"They are not afraid, certainly less afraid than those of us here like me and his dad, and they were ready to fight," Anton told 1News from his Auckland home.
"We're very concerned as Ukrainians - we have distant family and friends, and our friend's children are a similar age to our children, we're very afraid what may have happened in the near future," said Tanya.
"Our friends see all impact - they see military machinery going through their territory."
Ukraine declared its independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, but the Russian federation has strongly resisted moved by Ukraine to align itself with NATO.
In 2014 Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, a move strongly condemned by the West.
Russia has strenuously denied having new invasion plans, despite its military build-up near Ukraine's border, blaming NATO and its allies for inflaming hostilities.
"It's madness by all accounts to start the invasion and start the war - but if Russia does it then they are going to pay extremely hard for this," said Anton.
They called on the New Zealand Government to support Ukraine's sovereignty more strongly.
"I think they need to strongly oppose everything that Russia does, because that is what worries us Ukrainians the most," said Tanya.
Not every western government finds what it takes to stand up to Russia - Russia trades a lot of resources and that makes the situation complex because of business interests.
"This is no longer about business it's about the potential for global war to break out."
New Zealand's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, told told 1News she was "deeply concerned."
"Aotearoa New Zealand strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.
"The Government is following developments closely... We hope the ongoing discussions between the US, Russia and other partners will bring about an urgent de-escalation of the situation and stand ready to support this.
"We call on Russia to act in a manner consistent with international law and to take immediate steps to reduce tensions and the risk of a severe miscalculation."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today also advised New Zealanders in Ukraine to "consider leaving the country".
There were 17 New Zealanders registered with SafeTravel as being in Ukraine, a spokesperson said.
There is no New Zealand embassy in the country, the next closest being in Warsaw, Poland.
"New Zealand's ability to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Ukraine is very limited."
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