Bondarieva stated that they had been living in the basement since February 24, and have never been out. They are running out on food and water.
Bondarieva, 24 years old, managed to call her sister via phone recently. It is overwhelming to fear what will happen in her city, which is being bombed out and surrounded by fighting.
Bondarieva stated that she did not know how to leave the town after she arrived in Medyka, a Polish border town.
Mariupol was home to around 430,000 people before the war. About a quarter of them fled shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 24. It was almost impossible to leave the city under siege. Tens of thousands managed to escape the city via a humanitarian corridor over the past week, with 3,000 of them on Monday. However, other attempts were thwarted due to fighting. According to the Mariupol City Council, several thousand people were forced into Russia.
Bondarieva claimed that her sister told Bondarieva about Russian soldiers who were seen in Mariupol and the people being denied entry.
She said, “Civilians can’t leave.” They don’t give anything to them.”
As a warning to civilians fleeing dangers, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleskyy stated late Monday that four children were injured by Russian shelling on a humanitarian corridor. The shelling occurred in Zaporizhzhia, which was the first destination for those fleeing Mariupol.
On Monday, the battle for the Azov Sea strategic port raged with Russian and Ukrainian soldiers fighting each other block-by-block. On March 15, city officials stated that at least 2,300 people were killed and some were buried in mass graves. Although no official estimates have been made, it is believed that the death toll could be higher following six days of bombardment.
Maria Fiodorova (77-year-old Mariupol refugee who arrived Monday in Medyka) said that 90% of the city was destroyed. She said that there are no buildings left in Mairupol.
Maryna Galla found that just listening to the birds sing as she arrived in Poland was more relaxing than hearing the death and shelling in Mariupol. Galla and her 13-year old son Danil took a walk in Przemysl’s park. She hopes to visit Germany next.
Galla stated, “It’s finally getting worse.”
According to the United Nations, almost 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. This is the largest exodus of European refugees since World War II.
Valentina Ketchena arrived at Przemsyl by train on Monday. She had no idea that she would have to leave Kriviy Rig at 70 and find southern Ukraine deserted by fleeing the Russian invasion.
Ketchena said that Kriviy Rig has now been “half empty”. She will be staying with friends in Poland and hopes to return home soon. “It is a very difficult time for all.”
Zoryana Maksimovich hails from Lviv’s western suburb, close to the Polish border. Maksimovich stated that her children were scared and would cry every night when they had no other options.
The 40-year old said, “I told my kids that we are going visit friends.” “They don’t understand what’s going on, but they will ask me in a few days about their father.”
Maksimovich, like many refugees, had to flee the country without her husband. Men aged 18-60 are prohibited from leaving the country. However, they have remained to fight. She said, “I don’t know how to explain.”
Refugees can apply for a local ID card once they arrive in Poland. This allows them to work and have access to social services and health care. Irina Cherkas (31), a resident of the Poltava area, expressed concern that her children might be attacked by Russia.
She stated, “For the safety of our children we have decided to leave Ukraine.” “When the war is over, we will immediately return home.”
More than 2 million Ukrainian refugees have been accepted by Poland. In a charity event, more than $380,000 was raised by Ukrainian artists who joined their Polish hosts on Sunday evening.
Star of the evening was a Ukrainian girl aged seven who sang a song from “Frozen” inside a Kyiv bomb shelter. Her video has been viral and received international sympathy.
Amellia Anisovych sang the Ukrainian national anthem wearing a white, embroidered, folk dress as she fled to Poland with her brother and grandmother. Thousands of people around the audience responded by waving their cellphone lights.
