In Moldova, I met a woman with a dangerous plan to save her life

Tatiana settled in Chisinau, Moldova, after fleeing Ukraine. (ABC/Race Around The World: Elliot Constable)

Six Australian filmmakers are travelling the world in search of a story, each tasked with making a weekly short film for ABC iview's Race Around The World.

This is contestant Elliot Constable's experience from his week one travels in Moldova.

"Russian strikes are coming," she says, "they are going to hit Brovari, a town close to my home."

She received the alert from a communications app that monitors Russian attacks against Ukraine. They have different chat groups for different regions across her country.

During Russia's full-scale attack on Kyiv in 2022, Tatiana fled the country with her mother and pet bird. Her older sisters stayed behind, concerned that their limited language skills would make it difficult to find safe work. Under martial law in Ukraine, most men aged 18 to 60 were not allowed to leave the country, so Tatiana's father stayed, too.

Tatiana felt helpless when the conflict began in 2022. (ABC/Race Around The World: Elliot Constable)

When Russian soldiers stormed the city, Tatiana witnessed almost incomprehensible horrors.

Forced to take to the streets in search of makeshift shops that sold homemade bread, lollies and bottled water, she saw human suffering that will always haunt her, including 30 people trapped inside a burning bus.

After weeks of sheltering in the apartment, Tatiana and her mother decided it was time. They placed her lorikeet in a box, packed a bag of essentials, and set off towards the border. Many families did the same.

The roads were chaotic. Some cars took a wrong turn and drove straight into Russian positions. Families wrote signs and taped them to their windows saying "children inside don't shoot". Many didn't make it, but Tatiana and her mother did.

In desperate attempts to find safety, people stuck signs on their windshields. (Supplied: Elliot Constable)

At the time, human trafficking in Moldova was a serious concern, which made the border crossing and areas around it particularly dangerous for women. But they made it through and spent a few years as refugees in Türkiye and Georgia before eventually settling in Chisinau, Moldova.

And that's where I am now — in the centre of Chisinau in a little coffee shop, sitting across from Tatiana.

I met Tatiana on my first day in Chisinau. (ABC/Race Around The World: Elliot Constable)

She scoffs at her phone. "Russian p*****" (Ukrainian slang for "f***ers"). "They've launched Iranian Shahed drones, and they will strike in an hour."

She's so matter-of-fac