COLORADO SPRINGS — David Puchovsky may be one of the biggest Colorado Avalanche fans on the planet, but lately hockey has taken a backseat while humanity has come to the forefront.

“It’s horrible to see that something like this happening in the 21st century,” Puchovsky said. “I feel like it’s the second World War, the early stages. I hardly slept the next couple of days.”

Puchovsky, a native of Bratislava, Slovakia, works for the Slovak Police Force capturing images and video of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Slovakia.

“People have many questions,” he said. “What is going on? What is happening with their houses? With the their lives? With Ukraine? Kids were in absolute shock.”

According to the UN, nearly 700,000 refugees have fled Ukraine, and those numbers are expected to rise. Slovakia is just one of several neighboring countries in which Ukrainians are seeking refuge. Males ages 18-60 are banned from leaving Ukraine as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law.

“We saw [families get split]. I felt like it was [the movie the] Titantic. It was really depressing for me. I did everything I can to hold my tears,” Puchovsky said. “I saw a man who was helping his wife with bags to the Slovakian side and he was watched by the Ukrainian police. They hug and he was gone. He went back to the Ukraine because he couldn’t step into Slovakia.”

As Russian forces continue to close in on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, the death toll rises. The UN believes 136 civilians have been killed, including 13 children as of Tuesday, March 1.

“Be happy you are far from Russia, in the States,” Puchovsky said. “Live your every day life because COVID showed us that the world change very quickly, but the war shows us everything could be gone very quickly.”

For more images and videos of refugees at the Slovak-Ukraine border head to the Slovak Police Force Facebook page.

If interested in donating to the refugees, head to Eurolanche.com.