Xinhua News Agency, Lviv, Ukraine, February 27 "What are you going to Ukraine to do? Are there weapons on the car? On the morning of the 27th, when a Xinhua reporter drove from Poland to the Krakowezi border checkpoint on the Ukrainian side, the Armed Ukrainian Border Guards were interrogated in this way.
Entry into Ukraine
Despite the escalation of tensions elsewhere, the western part of Ukraine is relatively calm and the Polish-Ukrainian border is functioning normally.
Video screenshots
After two cross-examinations by border guards and the last checkpoint, we finally entered Ukraine. The first thing that catches your eye are two long lines. On the right side of the road, there are people carrying all kinds of luggage and looking tired; on the left side of the road, there is a convoy that cannot be seen at a glance. Due to the sharp increase in the number of people leaving the country, they can only wait for the batch of releases at the border checkpoints. A female Ukrainian border guard officer said she had only slept for a few hours in total in the last three days.
There are several gas stations on the border. There is a shortage of fuel in Ukraine, and the gas station tells us that the diesel used by the big cars is gone, and the gasoline is still there, but only 20 liters can be added per car.
After refueling, we headed toward Lviv, an important town in western Ukraine, and drove east for more than 70 kilometers. This two-way two-lane highway, the opposite lane is jammed with buses waiting to leave the country, private cars, and several bodies are moved every ten minutes. Some Ukrainians looking to enter Poland said they waited in the car for two days and two nights.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Wenxian. Video screenshots
It is a bit surprising that in the 20-kilometer-long convoy, almost no car occupies the opposite lane in order to cut in line, even if there are almost no cars in the opposite lane. On the way, a car turned around and drove back, blocking us for half a minute, and the lady standing by the road directing the U-turn apologized to us.
Along the road, many volunteers wearing reflective vests maintain order and direct vehicles. Every two or three kilometers, volunteers set up stalls to provide people with free water and food.
A false alarm
Continue east. The opposite convoy gradually disappeared into the rearview mirror. There were more and more buildings, and Lviv was almost there. We turned left at a turntable and entered an avenue in the center of Lviv and were hit by a serious traffic jam.
As the turtle moved forward at a speed, suddenly heavy snow fell from the sky: the sun was shining and it was snowing. I took out my phone to photograph the scene, which was seen by a police officer in front of me.
"Give me your phone and passport!" The policeman told us to drive to the middle of the road, when we saw a checkpoint in front of us with cement barricades and sandbags. The police carefully examined our passports and asked, "What are you doing in Ukraine?" Don't know if you can't shoot here? ”
We hurriedly explained, just to shoot the snow scene. "You have broken the law, and now it is time for war!" Open the trunk and I'll see if you have weapons with you. ”
We explained it again and got back in the car and waited. The police asked us to delete the videos and photos in person, and after emptying the trash bins, let us go.
"False alarm, in the future encounter a checkpoint, do not take out the mobile phone!" After passing through the three roadblocks, we finally escaped a disaster, thinking that we must remember that the war is not far away.
Air raid sirens
At about 7:30 p.m., we finally arrived at our hotel in Lviv, nearly 9 hours from the morning departure from the Polish border.
The horn in the hotel room suddenly sounded. As soon as they opened the door, the residents went out one after another, put on their coats and ran down the stairs, and there was an alarm sound in the distance outside the window.
"Is it an air raid siren?" "Yes, let's go to the basement!" A middle-aged woman said. We followed the crowd to the basement. The basement is set up as a conference room, with a bathroom and some beds for the elderly or the weak. There are about 200 people here.
Hotel basement. Video screenshots
"Aren't you worried?" I asked the guest sitting next to me.
"There will also be air raid sirens in 2022, which is really abnormal. But these days, we get used to it. The resident said.
Half an hour later, the alarm was lifted and people returned to their rooms to wait for the evening curfew to begin. (Reporters: Ren Ke, Chen Wenxian, Meng Dingbo; Video Editor: Wang Pei; Editors: Wang Fengfeng, Ma Xiaoyan)
Produced by the International Department of Xinhua News Agency
Produced by Xinhua News Agency's International Communication Integration Platform
Source: Xinhua News Agency