Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Japan News/Yomiuri
The Japan News/Yomiuri
World
Minako Sasako / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

Help extended to Ukrainians in Poland

Tears roll down a child's face after reaching Przemysl, Poland, from Ukraine by bus on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

PRZEMYSL, Poland -- People continue to flee Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country.

Przemysl, a Polish town near the Ukrainian border, has seen the largest influx of refugees, and a groundswell of support for their troubled neighbors continues to expand throughout the town.

Locals in Przemysl, about 13 kilometers west of the border, set up a shelter in a closed shopping mall. After many hours on the run, a stunned-looking refugee leaned back on a cot bed. The person remained motionless in response to the calls of volunteers offering lodging assistance.

Refugees rest in a closed shopping mall-turned-shelter on March 2. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

At the shelter, relief supplies such as clothing and daily necessities have started to accumulate. A pile of stuffed animals, perhaps for children who have experienced terrifying events as they fled, could also be seen. A row of tents offered food.

Though the Indian government has been criticized for not voicing strong opposition to Russia, an Indian volunteer made curry and extended a helping hand to the refugees.

In an area where buses arrive from the border carrying refugees, volunteers willing to provide transportation to people who wished to reach other parts of Europe waited with information boards.

A refugee girl picks up donated stuffed animals at a shelter on March 1. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Alex Mulleo, 27, had rented a nine-passenger minivan with a friend and rushed to the area from Berlin. "I want to help," he said. "That's all."

Refugees who arrived after a grueling journey waited at a train station to reach their next destination. Nastya Khodiuk, 20, said she had left her parents in her hometown to journey to a place where she was told it was safe. Her anxiety about living in a strange land was apparent. When she recalled her parents' parting words, she sobbed deeply.

A refugee who arrived on a train from Kyiv is reunited through a fence with a relative living in Poland while waiting for immigration clearance at a station in Przemysl, Poland, on March 2. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Volunteers to drive refugees to other cities across Europe wait at a bus stop in Przemysl, Poland, for buses carrying refugees from Ukraine, holding up signs showing destinations on March 1. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.