Fleeing war and crumbling economy, Ukrainians flock to Europe

A woman pulls her shopping trolley as she walks past a building that was damaged by shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in this October 15, 2014 file photograph. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - Andriy left his home town in western Ukraine earlier this year on a journey that brought him through the hands of shady traders in Poland to one of the world's booming markets for illegal immigrants - London.

Fleeing the strife of war with Russian-backed fighters and a shattered economy, Andriy is following a path similar to one taken by thousands of his fellow Ukrainians who have travelled either eastwards to Russia or westwards to the European Union.