"We had no intention of leaving until we saw the bombing. And when it started we decided to come here," says Victor Klopotovski, a Ukrainian refugee from Mykolaiv, who is being hosted together with his wife Maria at an old friend of theirs, Raïssa Ulinichi, a Chisinau resident. The three friends met several years ago while on holiday and kept in touch over the years. Just after the war started, the Klopotovskis decided to take up Raïssa's earlier offer to host them and called their Moldavian friend right after crossing the border. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES