PRZEMEISI, Poland, February 26 (Xinhua) -- The scene is directly attacked: when will we be able to return home - those Ukrainians who have fled the war
Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Ke Chen Wenxian Meng Dingbo
The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has shattered the calm of the Polish border city of Przemysil. It is only about 10 kilometers from Ukraine, and buses continue to come from the direction of Ukraine, carrying people who have fled their homes.
On 26 February, staff prepare meals for arriving Ukrainians in Przemysil, Poland. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
Xinhua News Agency reporter drove from Warsaw to the Polish-Ukrainian border on the 26th, and saw more than a dozen blue marquees temporarily erected on the parking lot of a large shopping area next to the main road leading to the border in the center of Przemysil. Inside the tents, volunteers from all over Poland continued to provide Ukrainians with a variety of necessities, including biscuits, instant noodles, mineral water, toilet paper and baby diapers, as well as a variety of emergency clothing.
As the President of Ukraine issued a national mobilization order prohibiting male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country, the reporter saw that almost all Ukrainians fleeing were women and children. They carried all kinds of luggage and carried food and other items they had just received. Through the hardships of fleeing, many of them are reluctant to face the camera and microphone of the reporter until the reporter meets Yulia, who has just been reunited with her husband.
This is the 26-year-old Yulia (second from right) and her family photographed in Prze Messier, Poland, on Feb. 26. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
Yulia, 26, had just arrived from Ukraine. With her one-year-old son in her arms, she was collecting convenience food from volunteers, while the eldest son next to her naughtily plunged his head into a box full of plush toys.
Yulia's family lives in a small town in western Ukraine, and her husband works as a worker at the Skoda Automobile Factory in Prague, Czech Republic. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, she decided to defect to her husband. She took her two children and was driven to the border area by her father and brother, and heard sporadic explosions along the way. For the last 20 kilometres of the border, they walked on foot and are now finally reunited with their husbands who have come to pick her up.
"The road is tough and dangerous, but now we're finally safe!" Yulia said the family would be going to Prague to live in an apartment provided to them by the Czech government. However, when it comes to the current situation and the future of the family, Yulia has a sad face. "What's going to happen next?" I don't know. ”
The blue tent was marked with the word "safety" in Polish, which was set up by the Polish government. Police are methodically directing vehicles into and out of the parking lot. People fleeing the war got off buses, rested properly, received relief supplies, and then transferred to other vehicles to other parts of Poland, germany, Italy, and elsewhere. According to a volunteer at the scene to maintain order, about 2,000 people now cross the border every day at this border checkpoint.
Ukrainians are picked up not only by buses, but also by cars from all over Europe. They took big cards, wrote down the destination they were going to, and carried people for free.
"I have two cars, one of which is full and the other can carry 4 people!" A middle-aged man, who did not want to be named, said. He held up a piece of cardboard on which he wrote "Prague" in Ukrainian. According to him, many people saw on Facebook that charities were gathering volunteer drivers to help Ukrainians fleeing, so they drove themselves to help.
A man holds up a sign in Przemeisil, Poland, on Feb. 26, stating where he was going, saying he could take people for free. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
"The people will always be the greatest victims of war!" The middle-aged man said.
Poland and Ukraine have frequent personnel exchanges, and many Ukrainians work in Poland, where incomes are higher and more developed. In the tent, the reporter met Sophia. Sophia, 24, came to Warsaw to work shortly after finishing university in Ukraine, and has been working for half a year, and now that russia and Ukraine are at war, they can't go home to visit their relatives. She drove here from Warsaw that day to volunteer for her fellow refugees, providing tea, coffee and cooked food.
On 26 February, staff registered information for arriving Ukrainians in Przemysil, Poland. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
Sophia's hometown is a small city in western Ukraine. As of now, her hometown is still peaceful, but she doesn't know if the fighting will spread there. The reporter asked: "What do you think of the current situation?" She had just enthusiastically served a cup of hot tea to the reporter, and suddenly began to cry.
"No, no, don't shoot me again... Suffice it to say that I hope that all Ukrainians can live in peace and happiness. The interview could not continue, and the reporter could feel her inner sadness and concern.
At a gas station not far from the tent, the reporter met several Ukrainians willing to be interviewed. A female university student, who did not want to be named, drove to Poland with several classmates and will go to relatives in Poland.
"When do you want to go home?" "Go home? I'll think about it tomorrow, but can I go back? The female college student replied.
Some people can't go back, and some people can't get out. At the border checkpoint, the reporter met a German who was anxiously waiting with his Ukrainian friend, who drove from Frankfurt to pick up the friend's wife. He said he and his friend had been waiting here for 12 hours and had not yet been able to meet his friend's wife, who was on the other side of the checkpoint, because her companions might have been denied entry into Poland.
At this point, he suddenly became excited. "Don't ask any more, I don't want to say..."
Vehicles line up to refuel at a polish gas station near the Ukrainian border on Feb. 26. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo