As thousands of Ukrainians try to leave their country as Russia continues its invasion, a Greenwich woman says she is happy to be reunited with her mother.

Olga Litvinenko, 2017's Miss Connecticut USA, was able to evacuate her mother just days before the invasion.

Litvinenko says she knew something wasn't right when her flight to Kyiv earlier this month was cancelled twice and the U.S. embassy began evacuating staff over fears of a Russian invasion.

She says she took that as a sign and worked to get her mom and two rescue dogs out of Ukraine as soon as she could. But now with limited travel access, Litvinenko says the rest of her family and her friends are stuck in Ukraine.

"I felt very thankful I was able to get my mom and the two dogs from Ukraine," said Litvinenko. "I couldn't imagine how I would feel if they were still there. It's so great that I had the news here and that we had the American embassy say there could be an impact, so we did have that knowledge."

Litvinenko told News 12 local Ukrainians did not prepare for the possibility of an invasion. Her friend Alexandra is stuck in her animal shelter in a town north of Kyiv and says she constantly hears missiles and only has enough food for the next three days.

"She says she can't sleep, she's hearing strikes, just now," Litvinenko translated while on a video chat with Alexandra. "The three day supply of food...maybe she can extend for a week, but what will she do past that? We're living in an age where this should not be allowed anymore."

Litvinenko says her family and friends in Ukraine are worried most about the water reserve. She said her family believes the Russians could be targeting the reserve, which could impact Ukrainians water supply. Litvinenko also said she is concerned about communication getting cut off. Right now, she is in constant communication with them, and fears that will change.