“I could hear the fighting outside, it’s very frightening,” Smishchkyk, a Vinnitsya native, said to The Associated Press, speaking from a hotel that offers refugees free accommodation.
She said, “We have left behind all of our possessions but they are not as important as the lives and love of our children.”
Smishchkyk, her daughter and hundreds of thousands more have fled Ukraine after Russian attacked on Thursday. According to the U.N. refugee agency, around 368,000 people fled Ukraine on Sunday, many of them into neighboring countries like Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
Volunteers from all walks of the world are supporting those suffering war-related destructions in their lives.
Romania’s Siret border crossing is where thousands of Ukrainians have crossed. Government workers race to distribute basic necessities donated from across the country. People and businesses have begun to pool their resources to help refugees.
Stefan Mandachi is a businessman living in Suceava, about 50 km (30 miles) south from the Siret border. He converted the large ballroom of his hotel into a refugee reception centre and now offers private rooms to the displaced.
Numerous mattresses are spread out on the floor of the ballroom, and donated clothes are piled high. Young children are free to run around.
Mandachi said, “I feel the need, it’s mine duty to help.” He also offered free food to Ukrainian refugees through his fast-food chain. “I have Ukrainian-speaking locals — we are united in helping them.”
Vasiliu Radu (34-year-old emergency worker at Siret border) is proud to have received support from so many volunteers. Radu stated, “It is more important these days in these situations of instability and war — that people help each other.”
Not everyone who tries to flee Ukraine receives the assistance they require.
According to Ruchir Kataria (an Indian volunteer in Poland), some Indian citizens trying to flee to Poland were stopped at the border on Sunday. They were not able to cross.
Kataria, who was in cell phone contact at the border crossing into Medyka with Indians and a smaller group at Poland’s Krakowiec, said to the AP that Indians trying to cross into Medyka were being told in broken English: “Go To Romania.”
The group had made long, difficult journeys on foot from the border to Romania, but they had not eaten for three days and could not reach the border with Romania, which is hundreds of km away.
Many people waited in a parking garage to help refugees being bussed into Poland from Ukraine in the southeast city of Przemysl.
A young girl from Ukraine said, “I am very happy I have come and thank all the people who have organized this,” she had just arrived. It is so nice to know that there are people waiting for us in our country.
The massive influx of refugees is also happening in Moldova, which has a long border to Ukraine. According to authorities, about 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Thursday.
The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu visited a northern border crossing on Sunday. She urged people not to panic and was grateful for the help of volunteers.
Sandu stated, “In these difficult times, I am proud to be proud of the citizens in our country, who have shown solidarity, humanity, and have offered a helping hand to our neighbors when they were needed.”
Jacob Sontea was a Nigerian student, who was located in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine. He arrived at Hungary’s border by train with his family. They were escorted by border authorities into the European Union country. This country has been known for its strong opposition to any form of immigration from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
“It was getting chaotic in the city Kharkiv… He said that it was dangerous and that he had to leave as this was the only option.
Smishchkyk, back at the Suceava hotel, tries to catch her breathe as she gazes at the ceiling with tears. She said, “They are still there.” “Our relatives, brothers, sisters, cousins. It’s just so difficult to process.”
