For many years, the market sq. within the small south-eastern Polish city of Medyka has been a preferred spot to purchase cigarettes, vodka or petrol. The sq. is lined with small shops and low cost retailers and prospects from Ukraine preferred to return over the border to purchase good high quality merchandise at cheap costs. In a while, they may re-sell them within the markets within the close by western Ukrainian metropolis of Lviv.
However this week, in only a matter of hours, Medyka’s market sq. has develop into a website the place historical past is made.
Medyka is considered one of eight border crossings between Poland and Ukraine. Since Thursday, tens of hundreds of individuals fleeing the Russian bombing of Ukraine have handed via right here. The border crossing is broad open. These transferring via can use not solely a slender pedestrian gangway, however may additionally drive via in vehicular lanes which were specifically ready.
It goes quicker that manner, Piotr Zakielarz, a spokesperson for the Polish area’s border guards, defined. “In any respect the border crossings with Ukraine, all lanes are open,” he continued. “Even individuals who haven’t got legitimate paperwork, or no paperwork in any respect, are allowed via.”
Simply ladies and youngsters
The displaced should usually wait for a very long time to get via although and Zakielarz stated this was largely as a result of laptop breakdowns on the Ukrainian facet of the border. On the Polish facet, a short examine solely takes a couple of minutes.
“Everyone seems to be on board proper now, no person’s occurring trip,” Zakielarz stated. “The Polish border guard has by no means needed to cope with such an enormous wave of migration earlier than.”
If they’ve time, Zakielarz and his fellow border guards have even been serving to Ukrainian ladies carry their heavy suitcases throughout.
And it’s nearly solely ladies and youngsters who’re coming throughout. Ukrainian males, aged between 18 and 60, have been forbidden to depart their nation as a result of the federal government declared a mobilization of the overall populace.
It was Thursday morning when Oxana Dubovenko left Zhytomyr, in western Ukraine, collectively along with her household. To get to the Medyka border crossing, they needed to journey 500 kilometers (310 miles).
The Medyka border crossing is “broad open,” Polish border guards stated
“It was a spontaneous resolution,” Dubovenko advised DW. “We packed just a few suitcases and drove in the direction of the border. My husband lives in Düsseldorf, he’ll choose us up right here after which we’ll all drive to Germany collectively,” the 40-year-old Ukrainian stated.
‘He needs to struggle for his nation’
On the concrete bench subsequent to her is her nine-year-old son, who’s nearly asleep, in addition to two teenage kin, two ladies aged 13 and 17. They’re on their telephone speaking to associates nonetheless again in Ukraine.
Dubovenko’s pregnant sister-in-law sits on a close-by suitcase. Her child is due in 4 months however she’s needed to go away her husband behind in Ukraine. She cries as she talks to him on the telephone.
Dubovenko herself finds it laborious to carry again her tears as she explains that her dad and mom determined to remain at dwelling in Ukraine. They’ve been going into an air raid shelter each time alarms go off.
“My father is over 60 however he needs to struggle for his nation,” Dubovenko stated. “They did not need to go away their canine alone both. None of us have ever considered emigrating from Ukraine,” she admitted.
Dubovenko works as a human assets supervisor at a financial institution in Zhytomyr and has taken her holidays with a view to journey right here. Conflict would not appear actual to her and she or he’s hoping to have the ability to return quickly. She’s by no means even considered what she would do for a residing abroad.
The 17-year outdated on the bench is Dubovenko’s daughter from her first marriage. Her title is Ania and she or he’s nonetheless slightly shocked by what it took to get to this border crossing.
“At one stage we needed to get out [of the car] and stroll a number of kilometers,” Ania recounted. “After which we needed to stand in a queue for over ten hours. Lots of people had been pushing ahead and I used to be frightened that I might be squashed or trampled.”
The queue on the Ukrainian facet of the border was undoubtedly over 20 kilometers lengthy.
Ready for a carry
There may be additionally a queue on the Polish facet but it surely’s a lot smaller. Right here, a whole lot are ready for associates and kin who reside in European Union international locations. There are 1.6 million Ukrainians residing in Poland alone and lots of of those that fled the nation within the first hours and days knew precisely the place they had been going and who would come and choose them up. Nonetheless, as time has passed by, rising numbers of the displaced are turning up in Poland with none ultimate vacation spot or concrete plans.
A queue builds on the Polish facet of the border in Medyka
For these individuals, the Polish authorities has ready 9 reception facilities, all alongside the 535 kilometer border with Ukraine.
In Medyka, there’s a sports activities corridor crammed with beds and heat blankets, in addition to paramedics in case anyone requires medical help. Ladies from the city drop off heat meals often. There have been numerous non-public help initiatives originally of the Russian invasion so demand was simply met by provide. Moreover most individuals who arrived right here at first solely stayed a short while, earlier than transferring onto their deliberate locations. That would all change quickly.
At Przemysl, a bigger city round 13 kilometers away from Medyka and additional into Poland, trains arrive from Ukraine day by day. The trains are now not coming in response to the official timetable, delays are getting longer and no person is aware of which practice will arrive subsequent.
Regardless of the chilly, there are individuals right here tonight providing free rides, even through the evening. Polish locals, Paulina and Emilian, maintain up an indication that claims, “Krakow, Tarnow, three seats. Free.”
Trains arriving in Przemysl from Ukraine have stopped working to any schedule
“We could not simply sit at dwelling and watch,” the couple, who’re each of their early 20s, defined. “We needed to do one thing.”
Pauline additionally based a Fb group that gives lodging for the displaced.
Too many donations
Contained in the practice station corridor at Przemysl, there are collections of additional garments, toys, meals and water. So many individuals rushed right here to assist when this began, that now sure hallways are reserved solely for his or her efforts.
One help group began an attraction for kids’s automobile seats and inside two hours, 80 had been collected. Vehicles crammed with donations have arrived in Przemysl from all around the nation. The truth is, there have been so many who on Sunday morning, Przemysl’s mayor, Wojciech Bakun, needed to ask that they cease coming.
Medical assist awaits the displaced at Przemysl practice station
“You’ve got organized a lot assist that our warehouses are full,” Bakun wrote on Fb. “We’re not in a position to settle for any extra transports.”
The Polish authorities has talked about one million refugees from the struggle in Ukraine and declared itself prepared and keen to assist them. Wanting round, it appears that evidently up to now most of those that have arrived are being nicely taken care of by the various non-public European residents’ initiatives.
The truth is, since Sunday, the authorities in Przemysl have been cooperating with their counterparts within the close by Ukrainian border city of Mostyska too, to ship help to the individuals nonetheless standing within the gigantic queue on the Ukrainian facet.
This story was initially written in German.