director of the Ukrainian House in Przemyśl Ukrainian House in Przemyśl located at Kościuszki street 5 Photo: Narodnyj Dim - Dom Ukraiński Facebook page NIKODEM SZCZYGŁOWSKI: “On behalf of Ukrainians living in Przemyśl and throughout Poland I wanted to thank you all because despite the enormity of the tragedy happening in Ukraine We have thousands of calls every day at the Ukrainian House with declarations of support and help all over Poland.” You said these words on February 26th 2022 The Ukrainian House now plays a variety of roles It is both an assistance point for war refugees and a community centre It also houses a local office for the Ukrainian consulate and operates a volunteer centre I told you that we got financial support from Polish Humanitarian Action the most important task was to control the refugee crisis After the spring chaos the situation stabilized but in the summer of 2022 the numbers arriving by train from Ukraine to Przemyśl began to increase again There were between 1200 to 1500 people a day their situation was different compared to those at the beginning of the Russian invasion They were in a worse material and mental state sometimes from places that no longer physically exist Those from Mariupol were severely emotionally broken talking loudly as they were used to constant shelling and explosions.  we also had a very large number of people with oncological illnesses who could not stay overnight at the Ukrainian House We only had 48 beds there and every day they were filled people stayed for two to three nights and then went on their way We had one dedicated person who looked for accommodation in other parts of Poland about 20 per cent of the refugees had already found work so it’s harder for them to find their way in the labour market so they don’t even have a passive knowledge of Polish more than one million refugees passed through Przemyśl you can imagine that it was a big call for our city Ukrainian House for us is first and foremost a home Our role is to fill this place with activities We want to constantly develop it and add new initiatives We have many ideas but we implement those for which we have funds That’s why we constantly ask for financial support and create new projects We want the Ukrainian House to be a meeting place for the residents of Przemyśl – both for those who have lived here all their lives and those who have just arrived we combine the sphere of humanitarian aid with cultural and educational activities We run two hostels for refugees with psychological We also assist those in need from Ukraine through our offices and institutions We are constantly present at the main railway station in Przemyśl and our staff take care of those arriving from Ukraine They also co-manage the “Mother and Child Room” at the station – a very important place where mothers with children and senior citizens from Ukraine can rest for a few hours It is impossible to forget that the war is still going on and people continue to seek shelter About 2,000 people arrive in Przemyśl by train every day we have closed the aid point near the platform where trains from Ukraine arrive this point served more than 100,000 people We employ a Roma assistant dedicated to working with this refugee group We have a mobile team that regularly checks the needs of refugees in various accommodation points in our region We organize cultural events and we invite music and dance groups Every day at the Ukrainian House there are workshops for different age groups Soon we will offer periodic meetings for seniors In 2022 we launched a library and reading room was built between 1901 and 1904 with contributions from Przemyśl Ukrainians in order to serve the cultural and educational needs of the local community at that time called Narodnyi Dim (the National House) economic and political organizations and associations A theatre and cinema operated there as well as a restaurant In 1946 the deportations of Ukrainian nationals from Przemyśl began On November 20th 1948 the district court ruled that the property of those deported to the USSR be taken over by the state treasury In 1950 the formal liquidation of the Narodnyi Dim Society in Przemyśl took place The long struggle for the return of the building ended only in 2011 Was this some kind of a watershed moment in the history of the Ukrainian community of Przemyśl I was living in Warsaw so I only know about this development from the stories of a “mythical” Przemyśl which is the unofficial capital of Ukrainians in Poland and the return of the “mythical” Ukrainian House not only for our thinking about ourselves but also for our planning of activities both the leaders of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland and our own local activists wanted this centre to be open to everyone But I also think that the return of the Ukrainian House to the Ukrainian community was good also for the city of Przemyśl Ukrainians had been calling for this return since the 1950s especially those who returned here after the relocation We were renting rooms in this building for fifty years because we came to the conclusion that if we wanted to function in this city and pass on the memory of our life here to the next generation we had to protect this building from destruction This shows our community’s determination and drive to reclaim it A week before the outbreak of the full-scale war we had a meeting with activists from the Przemyśl branch of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland Even journalists did not believe us that we had things ready We had to show them all the beds we prepared and other stuff Przemyśl is a city located practically right on the border with Ukraine but I have an impression that the city’s residents are rather uninterested in their neighbours I do not meet here many people who speak Ukrainian even though quite many people understand it It is interesting that in 2019 and 2020 we ran a Ukrainian language course which was attended by about twenty people at the time They were mostly Poles who had some Ukrainian roots who didn’t know Ukrainian and wanted to pass on to their children the language of their grandparents We also organized Ukrainian language courses for the employees of the city council Now we are running these classes in three groups which shows that interest in learning Ukrainian has been growing This is especially true for volunteers from other organizations who come to the conclusion that a few basic phrases in Ukrainian are no longer enough when it comes to the Przemyśl business community it has been a long time since its representatives last realized the value of knowing Ukrainian Przemyśl is a city rich in monuments and firmly ensconced in its own history perceived in a way that is based on stereotypes and Polish national mythology While the history of the period up to the First World War still somehow united the two parts of Austrian Galicia – the Polish and the Ukrainian areas – the interwar period (the time of the Second Polish Republic) the Second World War and the deportations that took place after resulted in two completely different versions of history do history and stereotypes play today in the life of the city and how do they affect its residents especially if we don’t control them and juxtapose them with academic knowledge History plays a role – which is not a bad thing but it seems to me that it would be useful for all of us to try to think about it more deeply reflect on it and understand why events happened the way they did It was the 100th year anniversary of Poland’s independence but in Przemyśl – again like in Lviv – this date also has another dimension we wanted to show that we enjoy living in a free country being in the EU and respect its values of democracy What unites us is our vision for the next hundred years We do not want to celebrate these events in Przemyśl in such a way as to show that 100 years ago Ukrainians were the city’s enemy That is why we organized lots of meetings with both Poles and Ukrainians It seems that this was an important moment for people in Przemyśl For some it was quite a surprise: how is it possible that Ukrainians are rejoicing in Poland’s independence Maybe I am not modest here but I think that it was the best centennial celebration of Poland’s independence in the whole country We invited top historians for open discussions of what happened here in 1918-19 A great many people came to these meetings many of them had never been to the Ukrainian House before How would you describe the cultural and social life of the Ukrainians who live in Przemyśl today Are there still two separate worlds when it comes to relations with the Polish majority You can see a lot of solidarity for Ukraine among Poles the flag of Ukraine – a foreign country – does not cause any negative emotions here After the tragic events of the second half of the 1940s which resulted in the relocation of many Ruthenians from the eastern and southern parts of Poland to the so-called “recovered territories” in the west and north many Ukrainians have lived dispersed across Poland How does the community of Przemyśl Ukrainians – that is those who stayed in the land where their ancestors had lived for generations – differ from other Ukrainian centres in the country Ukrainians of bourgeois background represent only a few families in Przemyśl Most were deported and quite a few emigrated to Canada and the US those who felt some need to return to their roots My family comes from near Leżajsk and Baligród Ukrainian history basically begins after 1947 and there are no historical material traces of a Ukrainian presence there the situation in Przemyśl is different from elsewhere in Poland When I lived in Pomerania – but perhaps this applied only to my family I wouldn’t want to generalize – we felt a sense of “temporariness” quite clearly In that part of Poland Ukrainian graves at the cemetery date back to late 1940s I didn’t know that there used to be a Jewish cemetery right next to my school until when our teacher told us that there used to be a Jewish cemetery in the square where we had just taken our cycling test A stone commemorating this fact was put there only about ten years ago there is no sense of the burden of history when it comes to mutual accounts of Ukrainian and Polish wrongdoings there This is probably the main difference when talking about Przemyśl and Pomerania or Silesia Now I think this is less of a burden but this has only begun to change in the last ten or 15 years the Przemyśl branch of Union of Ukrainians in Poland that initiates various Polish-Ukrainian activities In other cities the initiative generally comes from local governments relations with the city hall are getting better for us especially now that the local government is using our interpreters at the municipal office the mayor invited us to collaborate on a Norwegian-funded project We now receive grants for various initiatives and perhaps this is due to the nature of our activities In 2016 we were debating over two approaches to our activities – either we devote ourselves solely to the Ukrainian House and focus on ourselves – which a certain radical part of the city’s population would rather enjoy – or we open ourselves more to all residents of our city as we came to the conclusion that the city is a common space in which we must all work together half of those who now take part in the events we organize are Poles so positive changes are slowly but inevitably taking place What does the situation with Ukrainian language education look like in Poland at the moment Is it possible to develop Ukrainian culture in Poland in parallel with the development of this culture in Ukraine itself as we refer to certain common cultural codes Except that unlike the diaspora in Canada or the US here the history of Ukrainians has a much longer tradition have local embroidery patterns from Nadsanie so we also have our contribution which enriches Ukrainian culture in general Various things have mixed here over the centuries and there are no “pure ethnic” Poles and Ukrainians In Przemyśl we also started to think about our culture in a slightly different way and do not refer only to all-Ukrainian cultural codes we are trying to popularize our local patterns there used to be such a project called Spadok (Heritage) which popularized traditional costumes from different ethnographic regions We thought we could do it here too and organized an exhibition dedicated to our local varieties of embroidery We took photos of children in the costumes of their great-grandparents What is also important is the memory of Ukrainian urban life that existed in Przemyśl until the Second World War – the intelligentsia Knowing that Przemyśl was a very important centre of Ukrainian culture until the First World War – even more than Lviv – is for me a kind of anchor and motivation for further activities Perhaps someday we will get to the point where Przemyśl will promote itself as a multicultural city and the first public performance of the anthem took place here Przemyśl was the first city in Austrian Galicia where the so-called “Shevchenko evenings” began to be held to honour Taras Shevchenko after the poet’s death we need to fill the history of Jewish Przemyśl with content and in this way tame Przemyśl with its own complex history There is a novel by the Polish author Łukasz Saturczak titled Galicyjskość (“Galicianess”) in which he states that in Przemyśl certain things are simply doomed to be left in a vicious circle of provinciality This is what he refers to by the title Galicyjskość There are also opinions that Przemyśl is not a city but a state of mind What is Przemyśl to you and how do you see it in the near future Our initiative “Together for 100” polemicizes and contradicts what Saturczak writes about we believe that it is possible to go beyond this vicious cycle it is possible to talk and succeed in doing so nationally-oriented part of Przemyśl pressed the Ukrainians the more opposition this aroused on the side of Poles including those who are normally less active when there was an attack by a group of local nationalists on a Ukrainian procession to the Mikulicki cemetery maybe a dozen Poles participated in the procession after a childhood spent in Pomerania and studies in Warsaw It is a small and nice city to live in with an interesting geographical location We don’t have to explain why we live here The current situation shows that our strategy is working Among our volunteers there are not only Ukrainians Igor Horków is the director of the Ukrainian House in Przemyśl He studied Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Łódź and at CEMI in Prague Please support New Eastern Europe's crowdfunding campaign The consequences of Russia’s invasion are visible not only in Ukraine The Kremlin has set off or exploited a series of crises that face most European countries New thinking is needed in policies towards Russia in whatever form it will take after the war Ukraine’s suffering goes well beyond the front line With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we now see our western values under siege whether we consciously recognise it or not The invasion by Russian forces of Ukraine from the north south and east – with the initial aim to take the capital Kyiv – has changed our region The situation with Russian threats towards Ukraine once again illustrates the high level of instability in our region Only a year ago we witnessed the second Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan It took at least 5,000 lives and significantly shifted the geopolitics in the South Caucuses This special issue aims to honour the plight of Belarusians whose democratic choice made in August 2020 was shamelessly snubbed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka a lot of work still remains for this country And this is why Ukraine’s story is incomplete 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union Our societies are more polarised than ever before which makes them more susceptible to disinformation The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed limitations and weaknesses in nearly all countries around the world volatility and the relationship between Russia and the West The Black Sea region is quickly becoming a geopolitical battleground which is gaining the interest of major powers regional players and smaller countries – and the stakes are only getting higher This issue is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership as well as the 30 years since the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe The consequences of the emerging multipolar world This issue takes a special look at the role and responsibility of the public intellectual in Central and Eastern Europe today In the eastern parts of the European continent 1918 is remembered not only as the end of the First World War but also saw the emergence of newly-independent states and the rise of geopolitical struggles which are felt until this day that Belarus remains isolated from the West and very static in its transformation The Summer 2018 issue of New Eastern Europe tackles the complexity of para-states in the post-Soviet space The Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim (National or People’s Home) in Przemyśl is celebrating its 120th anniversary since its founding the center has been a hub of cultural activity for the Ukrainian community in the Polish border town for more than 100 years The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) congratulates the Association of Ukrainians in Poland (AUP) the entire staff of the Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim and the local Ukrainian community on this anniversary “The Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim is a landmark place for every Ukrainian who has been to Przemyśl at least once The UWC and our member organizations have repeatedly held their meetings there highlighting the importance of this historical building for Ukrainians worldwide,” said UWC President Paul Grod The Narodnyi Dim was built in the early 20th century with funds from the Ukrainian community and numerous cultural societies have operated within its walls along with many prominent Ukrainian cultural figures performing there including the nationalization of the Narodnyi Dim in 1947 as a result of the [World War II era] Vistula Operation the Ukrainian community has never lost hope and continued to work towards its return,” Grod continued the UWC contributed to having the Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim handed over back to the Ukrainian community “And we are proud of that,” the UWC President said the renovated Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim stands as a symbol of effectiveness and unity it opened its doors to thousands of women and children forced to flee the war and it serves as a place for numerous meetings as well as the active work of the AUP Przemyśl branch,” Grod stated The UWC President thanked Ukrainians in Poland for their dedicated efforts to preserve their Ukrainian national heritage and to bring Ukraine closer to victory and he wished the Ukrainian Narodnyi Dim in Przemyśl many years of future prosperity [email protected] [email protected] FB: @uwcongress Support independent journalism, starting from less than $2 a week. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy It looks like your email isn't registered yet—let’s get you set up We've sent a code to the below email.  With a population of just 60,000, the Polish border city of Przemyśl has welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s war of aggression started more than two years ago For the close to 5 million Ukrainian refugees who passed through this city — which due to the war was transformed almost overnight into a humanitarian aid hub — Przemyśl has become a vital stop on their journey “We live only 12 kilometres from the border with Ukraine All refugees that have come from Ukraine by train since the start of the war must come through Przemyśl,” says Jacek Paniw a representative of Przemyśl’s city hall who was responsible for the reception of Ukrainian refugees People fleeing the war zone would arrive in Przemyśl at its main train station each carrying between 3,000 to 5,000 people entered Przemyśl from Ukraine every day in the initial weeks of the outbreak of the full-scale war The normal capacity of these trains is around 1,000 people worked at the station helping refugees access forward transportation The mayor opened up all schools in the city and turned their gyms into a place to sleep “A lot of citizens organised space in their homes for refugees with many citizens working here in Przemyśl as volunteers,” Paniw adds Przemyśl remains a lifeline for the more than 2,000 refugees that come from Ukraine every day While the number of refugees is down significantly from 2022 the intense fighting and bombardment in frontline Ukrainian cities is driving many Ukrainians out of the country Some refugees decide to leave permanently while others seek refuge away from bombing campaigns over the border in Przemyśl “A lot of time after rocket attacks in frontline parts of Ukraine refugees come to Przemyśl and stay for the attack and then go back home,” Paniw says Przemyśl’s Polish and Ukrainian populations have a deeply complicated history From the Polish–Ukrainian War in 1918 to the population exchange between Poland and Soviet Ukraine in 1944 the connection between these two communities has been extremely strained and violent for a great deal of modern history “There were some nationalists who tried to play this card,” says Andrzej Orzechowski co-founder of Wolne Miasto Przemyśl (Free City of Przemyśl) an association that supports civil and human rights in the city ”Some people who still had objections against Ukraine as a nation were loud and we probably started to believe they were a meaningful minority despite the history of Polish-Ukrainian relations all people in Przemyśl immediately came together to do all they could for the refugees from Ukraine “It was totally not organised — it was spontaneous It was great to see because we saw a culture of trust where everyone wants to help,” he says the cultural hub of the Ukrainian House was key in organising refugee support this crisis has shown how negative attitudes towards Ukrainians or refugees are disregarded when vulnerable people need urgent help As soon as Anna Kowalik heard that Ukrainian House was looking for volunteers “I couldn’t manage the situation when I watch TV news and saw the information that Russian troops invaded this area of Ukraine and many people escaped from the country,” explains Kowalik Her first task was to go to the railway station and hand out packs of aid to arriving Ukrainian refugees Kowalik quickly found herself translating for refugees who needed support working out their next steps alongside her mother who accompanied her for moral support this was a completely new experience for Kowalik who had previously lived her life mostly in a small village “I didn’t have many social relations with people so it was a shock to meet thousands of people who need help,” she adds Kowalik had experienced depression for years and found this a challenging but essential step forward not just sleep until the afternoon,” she concludes “It was kind of my opening up to society.” A 35-year-old Ukrainian woman has been arrested in Przemyśl according to the country’s prosecutor’s office after being sentenced to 12 years in prison by a court in Kazakhstan for her role in an organized crime group involved in human organ trafficking border guards at the railway crossing in Przemyśl detained Ksenia P (whose name is protected under Polish privacy laws) during a routine inspection Authorities confirmed that she had been convicted in Kazakhstan for her involvement in an international criminal group that operated between 2017 and 2019 The group illegally harvested human tissues and organs for sale on the black market was found guilty of obtaining human kidneys from 56 victims across several countries The illegal trade was conducted for financial gain with the criminal network relying on it as a steady source of income the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl questioned Ksenia P requested the District Court to impose a temporary seven-day detention This measure is intended to facilitate her extradition to Kazakhstan where she is expected to serve her sentence set the stage for the brutal fighting—and genocide—that scarred Eastern Europe in World War II The twentieth century visited the worst of its horrors on East-Central Europe In these lands—stretching from today’s Poland through Ukraine ethnic cleansing, and genocide ravaged the population Most notorious is the Soviet and Nazi barbarism of the 1930s and 1940s when totalitarian regimes murdered some 14 million people is the fact that the extraordinary violence in these lands began decades earlier already with the outbreak of the First World War huge armies ranged widely in East-Central Europe and the persecution of whole ethnic groups this first war unleashed the new era of barbarity The First World War’s Eastern Front was the arena for an immense imperial clash stood imperial Germany and the Habsburg Empire whose army of 3.5 million soldiers was the largest in the world Russian ambitions for conquest in 1914 were fixed on the Habsburg province of Galicia—today in southern Poland and western Ukraine—at the southern end of the front the eastern half of this province was ‘primordial Russian land,’ even though it was populated by Ukrainians The ferocity of the violence the authoritarian Tsarist regime launched to conquer the province and the frighteningly modern population engineering enacted there to turn it into ‘Russian’ land converged with greatest intensity at one place: the fortress-city of Przemyśl Przemyśl was the Habsburg Empire’s main defensive bulwark in the east The fortification of the city had begun in the 1870s and by 1914 it was protected by a ring of 35 forts and Ukrainians—Przemyśl was the third largest conurbation in Galicia Already in the first months of hostilities The army was quickly defeated in eastern Galicia and forced into a chaotic general retreat westwards the fortress-city of Przemyśl and its garrison of 130,000 soldiers was all that stood before the Russians The garrison’s successful resistance won crucial time refill its depleted ranks and march forward in relief and thereby saved Central Europe from an early Tsarist invasion and at the beginning of November 1914 returned to open a second this campaign was the ‘Stalingrad’ of the First World War Przemyśl became a powerful propaganda symbol of heroic endurance and the prestige and morale of the Habsburg Empire came to be bound up in its defense The fighting was as hellish as any seen in the Second World War To break the encirclement and save the fortress-city the Habsburg Army launched three futile winter offensives over the Carpathian Mountain Range the troops fought at altitudes of over 2,500 feet in temperatures below -4°F trying vainly to struggle forward in deep snow The casualties on both sides together numbered well over a million men were nearly all that the garrison and townspeople of Przemyśl had to eat in the last months of the Russian siege frightened people were exposed both to the terrors of age old siege warfare and modern ‘total war.’ Food was weaponised During the four and a half months the city was besieged The garrison was reduced to eating its own horses Russian aircraft attacked Przemyśl in some of the earliest aerial bombing raids in history these pointed forward to an apocalyptic future Not only Tsarist besiegers but also the Habsburg defenders embraced mentalities of absolute destruction The destruction of Przemyśl’s forts shortly before capitulation on March 22 all the fortress’s food was exhausted and a fifth of its soldiers were hospitalised due to malnutrition the guns fired off their ammunition and all the forts were blown sky high with earth-shattering explosions The three central road and rail bridges were also destroyed cutting off the city’s main northern suburb from its centre the city’s new Tsarist commander warned residents that anything less than absolute obedience would be met with brute force: ‘the siege artillery … will shoot the city into ruins.’  was the occupier’s deliberately divisive ethnopolitics The Polish elites who had run Przemyśl were arrested and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop harassed whom the viciously anti-Semitic Russian military regarded as potential spies and saw no place for in the new ‘Russian land.’ Across occupied Galicia some 100,000 Jews were forced from their homes and children—were loaded onto army wagons and forced eastwards the First World War’s Eastern Front never descended to the depths of barbarity perpetrated in the same region in 1939-45 Though their ideologies were more rigid and brutal the Nazi and Soviet occupiers who seized Przemyśl in 1939 shared the imperial Russian Army’s view of the surrounding region as a place for conquest and dystopian experimentation radicalised the killing begun by the first war In this webinar discussion with Alexander Watson PhD and Senior Director of Programs Ed Lengel we'll learn how this titanic struggle marked the dawn of total war in Europe and set the stage for the atrocities and brutal fighting on WWII's Eastern Front Copy MLA Citation Copy APA Citation Copy Chicago Style Citation the day after V-E Day was officially confirmed Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the cautious mood along with his fellow RAF pilots who have been revered as “the Few,” played a critical role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi Germany during the summer of 1940.  US Third and Seventh Armies' March 1945 offensive cleared the Rhineland pushing deep into Germany and decisively weakening German defenses before the final Allied push Adolf Eichmann initially escaped justice by fleeing to Argentina where he hid out for nearly a decade until he was kidnapped by Israeli intelligence operatives and taken to Israel for trial Before the Allies could cross the Rhine River Bernard Montgomery’s forces first had to pry the German defenders away from its western bank with two simultaneous operations: Veritable and Grenade.  The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum confirmed retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Stewart Jr.'s death saying he passed away peacefully at his home in Bloomfield Hills a lesser-known but significant offensive in Alsace in January 1945 But why did Hitler choose to draw the United States directly into the European conflict View Campus Map The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S official — a shift in "the world order."Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all Refugees from Ukraine flood the main hall at the Przemysl train station in southern Poland "If you think about 1,200 to 1,500 refugees passing through the border every hour we see that situation and we have to [keep] moving very quick," said Przemysl Mayor Wojciech Bakun Poland — As the mayor of a small city hugging the border with Ukraine Wojciech Bakun admits he was ill-prepared to become a front-line humanitarian worker dealing with the fastest exodus of refugees in Europe since World War II More than 2.5 million people have left Ukraine in the two weeks since Russia began its invasion of the country And the place in Poland where most have crossed into is Bakun's city of Przemysl Bakun estimates that about 350,000 people have arrived since Russian bombs started dropping in Ukraine with those refugees fleeing into a city with a usual population of about 60,000 so I have no experience with managing not only this situation Refugees come off trains from Ukraine and into the Przemysl station having just endured a grueling journey marked by crowded carriages and high tension estimates that 350,000 refugees have arrived in his Polish border town since Russia invaded Ukraine The ornate terminal building has been overtaken by a heaving sea of humanity; there is constant motion and a sense of contained mayhem chairs and sidewalks are full of people who look dazed while aid workers weave through the crowds handing out warm meals The mayor says it's crucial that the refugees keep moving west "We are not for collect-and-stay refugees here in this city," he says "Transferring them very quickly to other cities in Poland is very important we see that situation and we have to [keep] moving very quick." Stuffed animals are among the free items offered to refugees when they arrive at the train station Humanitarian aid groups and foreign government officials have had high praise for the way Poland has handled the influx of Ukrainian refugees. Bakun's social media pages are flooded with comments praising his work, and memes have been created lauding him for standing up for Ukraine and lashing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yet some people who follow Polish politics are surprised by Poland's response to the refugee crisis because its leaders had been openly opposed to migrants up until now. Bakun himself belongs to the Kukiz15 political movement, which specifically expressed anti-Ukrainian views. "They actually advocated building a wall on the Polish-Ukrainian border that was obviously inspired by Trump's idea of a wall on the Mexican border," says Rafal Pankowski, a sociology professor who tracks far-right groups for the Never Again association in Warsaw, Poland. Victor Ivanovich Prokopienko of Ukraine plans to head to Germany after stopping in Przemysl. He says the rhetoric that conservative Polish politicians have used to describe Ukrainians has sounded a lot like the way immigration opponents in the U.S. talk about people from Mexico and Central America: claiming that they steal jobs and change the fabric of society. "They actually warned against what they called the 'Ukrainization' of the Polish labor market," Pankowski says. Just this week, a member of Poland's parliament claimed that emergency legislation to support Ukrainian refugees would make Polish people second-class citizens in their own country. Volunteers are ready to answer questions from newly arrived refugees. Since the war began, there has also been racism against nonwhite refugees at the border. Last week in Przemysl, Polish extremists chanted nationalist slogans and attacked African and Asian refugees coming to the train station from Ukraine. And YouTube videos that warn that a flood of Ukrainians will drain Poland's resources have attracted thousands of views. But Pankowski, the sociology professor, says that these views are in the minority and that he is surprised by how quickly the anti-refugee attitude has become unpopular in Poland. "I think this is one of those examples showing that in dramatic times like the last two weeks, people change," he says. "And faced with a big challenge and faced with a big tragedy, a change of heart is possible, and I think that applies to many people in Poland." "I just very much hope that this positive attitude and the sympathy and solidarity are going to stay with us." A boy has his pick of stuffed animals at the train station. Refugees receive a hot meal from the nonprofit food relief group World Central Kitchen. He believes Przemysl's mayor is one of those people who has changed. But Bakun rejects this and insists that he is exactly the same politician he always was. "A refugee is a person who is on the border with the country affected by war," he says. "So that is the situation. We have refugees in Ukraine." He says two weeks ago, Ukrainians were not refugees because there wasn't a war. The war, he insists, is what has changed — not him. This crisis has been going on for only two weeks, and Bakun insists the current system supporting refugees can't hold up forever. "It's only volunteers. So, you know, they work if they have energy," he says. If the volunteers go home, he warns, his small city could collapse under the strain. "Now we start talking with professional humanitarian organizations to manage that situation with us." Volunteers offer soup to weary and hungry travelers from Ukraine. The mayor is proud of the job that he and his city have done for the past two weeks, but they aren't the experts in this area. And as the war goes on, he says, others are going to have to step in to make this emergency operation sustainable for the long term. The lives of millions of people who may cross this border in the future could depend on it. Paulina Berejovska traveled to Przemysl with her mom, Svitlana, and dog, Meggy, from Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Print PRZEMYSL Poland — Oskar Broz stood in the Polish train station amid the tumult of anxious refugees overwhelmed police officers and exhausted volunteers distributing hot food and drink “The Warsaw train leaves at 2 a.m.!” announced Broz his words echoing in the sturdy walls of the Neoclassical structure Similar scenes repeat over and over these days at the central train station in Przemysl a normally tranquil city in southeastern Poland that has become the major gateway for Ukrainian refugees fanning out across Europe As of Wednesday, more than a million people had fled Ukraine since Russia attacked last week and the number was expected to keep climbing while many others sought shelter in Ukraine’s other western neighbors — Hungary Slovakia and other countries — and some moved to the Russian Federation Przemysl emerged as a principal focus of the ongoing exodus because it is the first major city to the west of Medyka the busiest crossing point along the 300-mile Polish-Ukrainian border The city is part of Eastern Europe’s historic Galicia region for centuries a battleground for invaders and empires from east and west Nazi forces occupied Przemysl and carried out mass killings in the city’s once-thriving Jewish community Residents today describe Przemysl as a quiet, family-friendly place with a population of about 60,000 people. The war in Ukraine has transformed Przemysl once again in only a few days buses from the border deposit hundreds of people in the city which now resembles a sprawling refugee metropolis Mainly, they are women and children. The Ukrainian government has banned the exit of men ages 18-60, urging them instead to join in the defense against Russia. Many refugees initially arrive at the sprawling parking lot of a shopping center along a main drag. The site — run mostly by Polish volunteers and nongovernmental aid groups — offers tents to spend the night and free food, diapers, medical care and other goods and services, including SIM cards for cellphones. The effort is part of a huge and rapidly organized welcome for the refugees. “Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters from Ukraine,” said Grazyna Skotnicka, 62, who, along with other women from nearby rural towns, had prepared almost 80 gallons of chicken soup to hand out under the aegis of Caritas, the Roman Catholic aid group. “This is who we Polish people are. Our hearts are caring.” People wait for a train at the station in Przemysl, Poland, on Wednesday. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) The fact that President Vladimir Putin of Russia — Poland’s historical adversary — initiated the invasion into Ukraine has played into the warm reception afforded to those fleeing Ukraine. “Putin started this war, and these poor people are paying the price,” said Piotr Bukowski, 67, a retired policeman who was helping to direct traffic in the parking lot as part of the volunteer effort. “Seeing their plight brings me to tears.” Volunteers and officials have worked out an elaborate system to ensure that the refugees connect with relatives, friends or with families willing to put them up. Online chat groups convey offers of free lodging. Volunteers offering rides await those arriving from the borders. As the buses pull up, drivers hoist cardboard signs with handwritten destinations, mostly in Poland but also elsewhere in Europe. The other day, volunteer drivers held up signs offering free lifts as far as Germany and the Netherlands. Bus drivers match the refugees’ destinations with the drivers. California escaped from Ukraine with their newborn in an effort to flee from the Russian invasion gather around their luggage brought from Ukraine The speed of events overwhelms some people “I still can’t believe this is happening today Andrusha — have found a place through social media with a family outside Krakow expressed hope that this would be a short war “I am Ukrainian; I plan to return soon.” She said she expected her refugee status to last just two weeks Not quite so optimistic were Victoria Hepurna and her sister who were on a crowded platform at the main train station The women described a harrowing escape from their hometown After the invasion began, they said, they drove five hours at night to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, occasionally switching off headlights in a bid to not attract attention. A three-day train odyssey brought them to Przemsyl. World & Nation A fire in a Ukrainian nuclear reactor has been extinguished radiation levels remain normal and the plant is in the hands of Russian forces They were now planning to board a train to Berlin so we are on our way,” Victoria Hepurna said “We are really not sure what it will be like featuring marble columns and paintings of pastoral scenes Others grabbed free hot drinks and sandwiches A Red Cross station provided aid to the sick Among those at the station were significant numbers of foreign students — some from India Pakistan and Nigeria — who had also fled Ukraine where tens of thousands of foreigners study medicine attracted in part by moderate fees and living costs Some who fled to Poland complained of what they viewed as racist behavior by Ukrainian authorities, who, they said, made non-Ukrainians wait for hours at the border before allowing them to leave and prevented them from boarding buses, forcing them to walk in the cold across the international boundary to Poland. “The Ukrainians treated us terribly,” said Ayodeji Edet, 27, a Nigerian who was among those waiting in the station, though he wasn’t sure where he was headed. Some non-Ukrainian refugees have complained that they have waited longer in line to cross the Polish border than Ukrainians Students interviewed said they had generally received better treatment once they crossed into Poland though many had to wait for hours in the cold at the Polish border town of Medyka before being provided transport to Przemysl issued a statement saying it was “greatly saddened by allegations appearing on social media that some Nigerian nationals are denied entry to Poland from Ukraine.” Poland said it has waived visa requirements for Nigerians and others entering from Ukraine what I am looking for now is some greener pasture.” Broz — a Polish law professor who volunteered to help at the station — continued to announce departing trains He encouraged everyone to get on board to reach locales elsewhere in Poland and Europe it really cannot handle so many refugees like this,” said Broz Ukraine won its independence in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin contends it was never a state A no-fly zone, many officials say, would draw the U.S. and its NATO allies into direct combat with Russia — an escalation many liken to a world war Air combat missions would have to be supported by ground-based operations and the U.S and its NATO allies would have to be prepared to go in over land making it “a slippery slope from there to a shooting war.” There are set definitions and processes for determining who’s a war criminal and how they should be punished. The investigations into Putin’s actions already have begun and 44 other countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses and there’s another inquiry by the International Criminal Court Several organizations in California, as well as international aid groups, are helping refugees, wounded soldiers and others in and around Ukraine. Here’s how you can contribute. Special correspondents Liliana Nieto del Río and Wiktor Bruchal contributed to this report. Foreign correspondent Patrick J. McDonnell is the Los Angeles Times Mexico City bureau chief and previously headed Times bureaus in Beirut, Buenos Aires and Baghdad. A native of the Bronx, McDonnell is a graduate of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a Nieman fellow at Harvard. World & Nation California Hollywood Inc. Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Photo: Tomasz Beliński, Przemyskie Centrum Kultury i Nauki ZAMEK (ZAMEK Cultural and Scientific Center in Przemyśl) ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007. This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information". The southeastern Polish city of Przemysl on Thursday mourned the loss of a local man, Damian Sobol, a volunteer of the charity World Central Kitchen, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Monday. “He was a brother to me. My neighbor, friend and we worked together,” Batlomiej Hadala, a volunteer helping Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, told Anadolu. “What Israel did was terrorism,” he added, a few minutes after letting off a flare in front of the main railway station in Przemysl and crying out: “We will not forget.” Sobol was honored with flowers and candles at the memorial site in Przemysl, 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and which for the last two years has been the first stop for over a million Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia. Sobol, 36, together with six other volunteers, was killed in the Gaza Strip in an attack by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on a convoy of World Central Kitchen, a charity organization providing meals to victims of wars and disasters. Six other WCK volunteers, aged 25 to 57, also died in the attack - citizens of the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada (one person had dual citizenship) and Palestine. Sobol had been responsible for the operation of the recently launched maritime humanitarian food corridor, from the island of Cyprus to the Gaza Strip. They had picked up cargo on the coast and transported it inland. At the time of the tragedy, the convoy was returning after delivering aid. “People should not be killed for helping other people,” another mourner Aisha Kumpan told Anadolu. “It is not right, we just want to help,” Aisha, who is a Ukrainian of Jewish and Muslim parents, said. “I have the right to take Israeli citizenship, but now I don’t want my son to go into the Israeli army,” she added. Information about the Pole's death appeared in Przemysl on Monday night. Although he had been living in Warsaw for some time, he spent most of his life in Przemysl and was widely liked. By the decision of Przemysl President Wojciech Bakun, the state flag at the town hall in the Market Square was lowered to half-mast as a sign of mourning. Bakun told Anadolu he would respect Damian’s family and not speak before the funeral which will take place after the body is returned to Poland. “Damian Sobol, an inhabitant of Przemysl, who tragically died in the Gaza Strip, was well-known in our city and had many friends and acquaintances who had the opportunity to work with him,” the city's website reads. “We express our sincere condolences to the family of the Polish volunteer who helped the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. Poland does not agree to the lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Tuesday. The case of the attack by the Israeli army on the WCK convoy is being investigated by the Israeli authorities. An investigation into Sobol’s death was also initiated by the District Prosecutor's Office in Przemysl, which is investigating a murder involving the use of explosives. 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All rights reserved '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/were-you-hidden-in-przemysl-poland-1942-1944-75-years-later-and-searching\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=UVhaBWmZjXzp.D3Bf3N4Lqd6sHZZNyCGXa6FXGS525I-1746517985-1.0.1.1-2JybHQuWt2EapVEuxpdDk2g7273NrDe18BZe0uTe3Hs" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); this account of the great siege of Przemyśl food supplies inside the besieged fortress of Przemyśl were almost exhausted Most of the horses that could be spared had been eaten sawdust and bone meal were used to eke out the dwindling stock of flour Cats were nowhere to be seen – they too had been eaten if its owner could be persuaded to part with it The hospital was filled to overflowing with collapsing people As one of the doctors tending them observed the most shocking thing about the starving was their indifference to their fate “They silently and without complaint accept a cold place in the hospital drink the slop which passes here for tea; the next day One of the marvels of Alexander Watson’s study of the bitter struggle for the fortress in 1914-1915 is his juxtaposition of magisterial technical analysis with scenes of timeless misery The concrete and steel gun emplacements with their turrets the fast-firing field artillery and the little wooden aeroplanes that flew in and out of the tiny fortress airstrip were all new hunger and isolation were as old as the art of siege itself In the last years before the outbreak of the first world war, Przemyśl now on the south-eastern edge of Poland near the border with Ukraine central European fortress on the eastern marches of the Austro-Hungarian empire There were attractive cafes and restaurants lively newspapers catering to a range of ethnicities and political tastes Polish and Ukrainian secondary schools and diverse religions For all their modernity in technical terms the two immense concentric rings of fortifications that surrounded the city felt more like reminders of the distant past than warnings of future peril Within weeks of the outbreak of war in the summer of 1914 Przemyśl was awash with Habsburg troops making their way towards the Russian armies When the Russians broke the Habsburg advance the Russians had surrounded the city and the first siege began A renewed Habsburg offensive pushed the front back a second and much more arduous siege began It would end only when the Austro-Hungarian garrison capitulated to the Russians on 22 March 1915 incapable of learning from his mistakes and shockingly insensitive to the suffering of his men he was the most important single architect of the disasters that befell Przemyśl As elsewhere in areas that came under Russian control during the war the Jews were singled out for special punishmentThere is much more to this book than an empathetic and evocative campaign history Watson uses the fortress city like a jeweller’s glass to show how war distorted and transformed the pre-war civilian world poisoning it with a spirit of vendetta and ideological hatred that would not swiftly dissipate The first non-combatant victims were the Ruthenes speakers of various Ukrainian dialects who were suspected by the Austro-Hungarian military authorities of favouring the cause of the Russians an infantry regiment of Hungarian Landsturm strung up dozens of Ruthenes from trees at the side of the road Further atrocities took place inside the fortified rings As one commander reminisced: “There were some [Ruthenian] villages in which the entire population had to be hanged because they pulled out Russian rifles … and fired salvos at us.” There were attacks on Ukrainian “Greek Catholic” clergy whose presence offended the incoming Russian Orthodox authorities The occupation army embarked on a policy of “Russification” whose purpose was to restore the region to its supposedly “primordial” Russian condition as elsewhere in the areas that came under Russian control during the war the Jews were singled out for special punishment public whippings and forced labour services performed before crowds of impassive Poles and Ruthenians before being hanged in turn; 17,000 Jews were simply deported eastward without charges of any kind Watson backdates the inception of ethnic cleansing and racial atrocity to the era of the first world war when the clashing protagonists were not newfangled totalitarian states The power of this book lies in Watson’s ability to always connect such large claims to the experiences of the people who carried this war on their backs His eye falls on all those trapped in the fortress – the doctors troops entrenched inside the great rings of the fortress and the sex workers and girlfriends who hoped through love affairs or trysts with officers to lay hands on food they could take to share with their families more than 100,000 troops and civilians of Przemyśl made their way into Russian captivity most of them fetching up deep in Asian Russia recalled his father’s return home in 1921: “He came in at the door buckled like a centenarian.” Watson’s splendid book combines great evocative power (and flashes of sharp humour) with the ethical authority of the best history writing because it resists any attempt to encompass the death and violence of war within a narrative of redemption It recalls instead a war that never really ended but rather spilled out into cascades of further violence whose toxic effects are still with us today Christopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 is published by Penguin. The Fortress: The Great Siege of Przemyśl is published by Allen Lane (RRP £25). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com families arrive while others head in the opposite direction to take up arms or be with family dozens of Ukrainian men and women are about to board a blue train bound for Odessa Oksana from Kyiv stands on the train to Odessa. ‘I’m not leaving my country at such a difficult time.’ Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian“I have worked and lived in many countries,” says Oksana, 50. “I have lived in Poland and Italy And I’m not leaving my country at such a difficult time I see many of my fellow countrypeople around me here But they left them to return to Ukraine and fight.” Onboard the trains bound for Ukraine there are also many women who are determined to bring back their children left behind or who refuse to leave them alone in Ukraine “We are from central Ukraine and my son left from Poland a few days ago to join the Ukrainian army and fight and I couldn’t leave him alone,” says Tatiana There are little boys who are also helping in the fight I couldn’t imagine my daughter there alone I took the first flight ElenaElena arrived in Poland yesterday after having returned to Kyiv to find and rescue her daughter recently boarded a flight from Sicily to reach Poland and then Ukraine The basement apartment in Kyiv where her family lived was destroyed by Russian airstrikes “When I heard that the war was about to begin “I couldn’t imagine my daughter there alone I took the first flight to Poland and went to Kyiv The building destroyed by the bombs was in front of mine Hundreds of Ukrainians arrive at Przemyśl train station from the Ukrainian city of Lviv Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The GuardianA German man who had travelled to Kyiv to find his wife offered Elena and her daughter a ride to the border with Poland where they joined the tens of thousands of refugees lining up to enter The mass exodus is causing severe queues at the Poland-Ukraine border with rows of people and cars reaching back nearly 10 miles and waiting times of 40 hours “My eight-year-old daughter has a severe intestinal disease and cannot walk,” says Elena we were able to pass thanks to the intervention of doctors and volunteers Poland’s border guard estimated on Sunday that 22,000 people have crossed from Polish territory into Ukraine since Thursday “I lived in Germany and my family stayed behind in Stuttgart,” says a man in his 40s who has just boarded the train “But I didn’t like watching my fellow citizens fight and die I am already in contact with the armed forces in Kyiv is preparing to meet his brothers from Kyiv to lend a hand to the refugees Next to him is a young man from Georgia who has travelled from his country to help his friends in Ukraine Read moreA small but growing number of Ukrainians living in the UK have also made plans to go back to resist the invasion, including veterans of the war with Russia since 2014, community leaders told the Guardian last week 3:50Moments of defiance: how Ukraine has stood up to Russia – video“Anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals,’’ said Zelenskiy And judging by the movements on platform three Sign up for a different view with our Global Dispatch newsletter – a roundup of our top stories from around the world and thoughts from our team on key development and human rights issues tells the story of World War I's epic battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary for the eastern European fortress of Przemysl In this webinar discussion with Senior Director of Programs Ed Lengel we'll learn how this titanic struggle marked the dawn of total war in Europe and set the stage for the atrocities and brutal fighting on World War II's Eastern Front Join The National WWII Museum's Educational Travel Team and Historian William I Hitchcock as they explore the highlights of this upcoming journey through Normandy and into the heart of Paris Watch as The National WWII Museum's Educational Travel Team and Historian Alexandra Richie discuss the Museum's newest tour Watch as The National WWII Museum's Educational Travel Team and Historian Alexandra Richie discuss the Megastructures: Forced Labor and Massive Works in the Third Reich tour Learn about Kristallnacht or the “Night of Broken Glass” and how the history of European antisemitism helped lead to this event Join us for a webinar concluding our Women’s History Month programming discussing a pioneer in American aviation World War II was a watershed moment for Mexican Americans and their quest for equality—during the war Mexican Americans served in the military and worked on the Home Front to support their country were no longer willing to accept second-class citizenship This lecture rethinks the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspective of Native Hawaiian history 2021 marks the centennial of the creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery The government has signed contracts with Norway and the US to help make up for those cuts But the energy crunch is really hitting Poland hard Prices have shot up by as much as 700% since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prepares coffee on the gas-powered stove at his house on Oct But as Europe’s looming winter energy crisis draws closer who lives in the town of Przemysl on the Polish-Ukrainian border points to a small cast iron fireplace in the corner of his living room “We’ve got some wood stored … what else can we do,” said Czapor who lives with his partner and two young daughters in a 900-square-foot apartment As more Europeans feel the weight of the energy crisis, brought on by the war in Ukraine, fears are growing that pressure will mount for EU leaders to loosen sanctions against cheap Russian oil once the third-largest importer of Russian gas “We are not going to surrender,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told The Washington Post in a recent interview “We are not going to leave Ukraine without support.” It’s a sentiment shared by most Poles, with a recent YouGov poll finding that Poles were most likely of any EU country to support further sanctions against Russia in the face of rising prices “We understand the situation is difficult,” Czapor said there’s a war going on 12 kilometers [7.5 miles] from our house.” Like many Eastern European countries that share a border (and tense history) with Russia Poland has long been skeptical of the Kremlin’s foreign policy “This fear that Russia is using against Europe it’s something we [in Poland] have known about for many years,” said Joanna Mackowiak-Pandera president of the Warsaw-based think tank Forum Energii “We have been frustrated that other countries did not see this threat.” Indeed, a recent Pew Research poll found that 94% of Poles see Russia as a major threat But even if public discontent for the Kremlin still outweighs the burden of the oncoming energy and cost of living crisis that doesn’t mean Poland isn’t feeling the weight the country is dealing with some of the toughest economic consequences Poland’s inflation rate reached an astonishing 17.2% in September, well above the 10% average in Europe Energy prices are also soaring, with some universities saying they’re being forced to move classes online after energy bills shot up by as much as 700% The situation led to a standoff earlier this month between Poland’s central government and a number of opposition mayors from cities across the country who said the central government wasn’t providing them with enough relief “It’s impossible to pay for these 1,000% increases,” said Jacek Karnowski a town of around 40,000 people on the Baltic coast Karnowski was one of dozens of mayors who protested in central Warsaw earlier this month demanding that the government step in to cap energy prices The Polish government agreed to impose energy price caps through the end of 2023; most consumers will see their monthly energy bills increase, but only by 8% to 15% There are also fears that subsidies could lead to energy shortages “We see a lot of governments focusing on subsidizing energy instead of saving energy,” said Mackowiak-Pandera who argues the issue with focusing on subsidies versus saving is that people will be less conscious about how much energy they’re using “We should expect that there may be no electricity for up to three hours a day in some regions.” Then, there’s the issue of coal, which is used to heat around a third of Polish households While Poland has historically relied on Russia for about 75% of its coal imports, a recent embargo has cut off those supplies “Polish households are struggling with where to get coal from and how to heat our homes,” Mackowiak-Pandera said Because of an embargo against Russian imports about 60% of Polish households say they don’t have enough coal to get through the winter Poland is now importing natural gas from other countries “I’m 100% convinced that next winter will be easier and so will the one after that,” Mackowiak-Pandera said painful divorce — and we need to see it through.” staring at the empty fireplace in his living room said that he has a simpler solution: “For Russia to end this war.” But he quickly admitted that he doesn’t think that is a reality — “So we will manage the best we can around the fireplace,” he said delivered to your inbox every weekday morning Thanks to our sponsor PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. People walk out of the customs at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. Recently, a large number of Ukrainian people arrived in Przemysl by train. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo) A man sheds tears while making a phone call at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. A couple hug with each other at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. Ukrainian people keep warm with a blanket at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. A fainted woman receives help at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. A woman makes a phone call at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. A man makes a phone call at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. A woman waits for her family members at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. Ukrainian people look for their family members at the Przemysl railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Feb. 27, 2022. Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London and Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet and Lisa Shumaker Matteo Salvini’s admiration for Vladimir Putin came back to bite him during a visit to Poland on Tuesday when a local mayor reminded the Italian far-right leader of the appalling actions of “the person you call a friend.” was in Przemyśl on the border with Ukraine when the mayor held up a T-shirt emblazoned with Putin’s face and the words “Army of Russia” during a press conference Standing next to a visibly uncomfortable Salvini, Bakun said: “Look at what the person you call a friend did to the people who come across the border in numbers of 50,000 a day.” He then said they could go visit a refugee center if Salvini wore the same T-shirt that he sported in Red Square from Ukraine.” The Italian then walked away But the far-right leader has sung a different tune since Putin invaded Ukraine, taking to Twitter to “condemn any military aggression” and calling for a “common response from allies,” before posting a video of him bringing flowers to the Ukrainian embassy in Rome You cannot buy an Ursula von der Leyen watch POLITICO has reviewed the declarations of interest of every European Commission nominee Keir Starmer’s sausages/hostages mix-up was a gaffe for the ages Photographer Francesco Malavolta captured the heartbreaking image on March 3 "The arriving women had left their strollers in Ukraine to speed up the journey and because many of them were traveling without husbands because they remained fighting," Malavolta said The war photographer spoke to one of the women who left a stroller on the platform and had also delivered baby gear to a local school The Polish mother told Malavolta she was happy to donate the gear out of solidarity with the incoming people from Ukraine The now-viral image of the strollers awaiting refugee families captured a moment of calm in a sea of uncertainty and human suffering "The thing that struck me before taking the photo was the absence of people around while two meters away there were miles of people.  It seemed surreal.  I thought of them both about the solidarity of those who brought the strollers and the dramatic stories of mothers fleeing the war," he explained.  Malavolta's stunning image has been shared by mothers all over the world,  including celebrities like Amy Schumer and Glennon Doyle.  The Polish government estimates that nearly a million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Poland many with precious few belongings and children clinging to them refugees are moving from the train station to a crisis center set up in a former shopping mall and try to plan their next move — one that may be a little easier with the help of a stroller and other donated baby gear.  American journalist and father Tony Dokoupil of "CBS Mornings" also photographed the strollers being brought to the station by Polish parents to help their Ukrainian counterparts.  As Dokoupil points out in his Instagram caption the trains and buses ferrying families from Ukraine to relative safety are so full there is simply no room for strollers and other items that make parenting a little easier.  and they did what mothers around the world do in times of crisis: They gave what they could because they know what mothers need.  turned into a waystation between war-torn Ukraine and the rest of Europe the Pensjonat Pod Zegarem became an unlikely haven This article was published more than 1 year ago or “house under the clock,” hardly stands out on this quiet residential street in Przemysl a picturesque city in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border are separated by a courtyard that’s surrounded with flowers and covered in comfortable deck chairs and tables the six flats have wood-panelled interiors and cozy furniture High up on a pole next door sits a huge gnarl of twigs and sticks that’s hard to ignore. The nest has become a neighbourhood fixture and it’s home to a family of storks, birds seen by many in Poland as symbols of love In many ways the guest house has become something similar; no longer a way station for visitors but a place of nurture for Ukrainian couples torn apart by the war to reconnect and nourish each other before separating once more A doll on a chair looks out at the stork's nest on a pole outside the guest house The owners are Piotr Romanski and Marta Romanska seen talking with a Ukrainian friend who lived with them before the war This wasn’t what Marta and Piotr Romanski, who are both in their early 60s, envisioned when they opened the apartment hotel in May, 2021. They expected to cater to Polish tourists who wanted to see Przemysl’s ancient cathedrals or explore the nearby Bieszczady Mountains. Everything changed when Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year Przemysl became a transit point for millions of Ukrainians seeking shelter and the Romanskis took in as many refugees as possible Then they hosted volunteers and staff from international charities As the influx of refugees and aid workers subsided last fall The Romanskis began fielding calls from men who’d left Ukraine – either for work or out of fear – and who now lived in Poland They didn’t want to return home and run the risk of not being able to leave again because of wartime restrictions that banned adult men from going abroad So they booked a flat in the house under the clock for a few days and begged their wives Milan and Oslo while the women came from Lviv Kyiv and dozens of other towns and villages “There was a father who only knew his child through a video phone,” Ms this child clung to his father’s leg for the whole stay These meetings now make up nearly all of the Romanskis’ bookings And the same story is playing out in hotels and Airbnbs across the city “We had a chap who turned up for his stay over the Easter weekend with a bunch of roses and his wife arrived the following day from Ukraine,” recalled Christopher Timms who rents out two flats on Airbnb and has been booked up with similar couples Another Airbnb owner said 70 per cent of her bookings were Ukrainian men and women separated by the war The Romanskis have tried to make the six apartments feel a little like home for their guests hung pictures of Ukrainian scenery on the walls and removed ornaments even remotely associated with Russia Max arrived at the guest house shortly after 6 p.m. beat-up Volkswagen Passat with Ukrainian plates He’d booked the flat for six nights and wanted everything to be perfect He quickly unpacked his bags and the many presents he brought for Ola Then he headed to the train station to pick her up Max moved to Germany three months before the war started and he spends most of his time on the road which also helps support two teenaged children they have from previous relationships “Who is going to earn money for the family?” Max unpacks his luggage to bring to the rented apartment Since Russia’s invasion they’ve only been able to meet at the guest house for a week or so every few months They’ve thought about living together somewhere in Europe but Ola doesn’t want to give up her job or abandon her family Max told the Romanskis that he needed to find a dentist in Przemysl to treat a sore tooth and a notary to translate some documents from Ukrainian into Polish They spent almost all of their time in the flat venturing out only to smoke the occasional cigarette or to buy food Max skipped the dental appointment the Romanskis arranged his longing for Ola proving more powerful than his toothache Max sat on a bench in front of the guest house The female sat with her little ones and cackled waiting for the male who returned from the meadows every 15 or 20 minutes with food in his beak put out his cigarette and returned to the flat all Oleksyj could think about was how to earn some extra money to pay for his father’s operation Oleksyj had been a computer programmer with a decent salary but the work has dried up since Russia’s invasion He joined the army when combat started but was subsequently discharged when his father had a heart attack in Kyiv and needed surgery doesn’t work and stays home to care for their son Oleksyj thought he might be able to find a job in Berlin; he had been there once on a business trip and that could be difficult under martial law Oleksyj could argue with Ukrainian authorities that he was his father’s caregiver Maybe even his father could come to Germany for the operation Ihor Oholenko takes a moment before his return journey to Ukraine They bought train tickets to Przemysl and booked two nights in the guest house Myroslava came as well so she could accompany Ihor back to Kyiv They crossed the border without incident and spent one night together Ihor and Myroslava said goodbye to Oleksyj as he boarded a bus to Berlin maybe they will do my operation in Kyiv or in Germany I don’t know,” Ihor said before turning back to Ukraine Myroslava refused to cry as she watched the bus drive off “If you send your husband off to war and have to fear every minute that he will be gone then letting him go to Berlin is easy,” she said “We try to live a normal life to the maximum We understand that only a sense of ordinary life will save us.” thought they’d finally mapped out a plan for some security when he left their home in Ukraine a couple of years ago for a truck driving job in Poznan The pay was far better than what he earned in Ukraine and he regularly sent money to Valentyna She put it toward a comfortable flat in Kropivnytsky They hoped that after a few more years of driving in Poland Dmitro would have earned enough to stay home for good “It was a normal life and nobody thought there would be a war,” said Valentyna They’ve seen each other twice since the invasion Valentyna and Daniel went to Poznan for a few months last fall but the cost of living was crippling and Valentyna couldn’t find work in her field of tax accounting So she and Daniel went back to Kropivnytsky Daniel rests while waiting for his parents to finish packing they cobbled together as much time off as they could afford to and Dmitro booked a flat in the guest house in Przemysl He drove in from Poznan while Valentyna and Daniel made the 19-hour train journey from Kropivnytsky taking a side trip to Krakow and hunting for a toy gun that Daniel wanted For 15 days they lived the normal life they’d longed for knowing that it wouldn’t happen again for several months Kropivnytsky has come under an increasing number of Russian missile strikes and power outages are common She copes by tuning out much of the news and concentrating on just getting through each day we try to live a normal life to the maximum.” she said We understand that only a sense of ordinary life will save us A pair of dolls look out from a window at the guest house as another day ends in Przemysl At Grade 8 graduation, Ukrainian teens in Toronto savour a small victory Ukrainians take slow, wary steps to rebuild as war with Russia rages on Ukrainian pastor and ‘Chaplains’ Battalion’ bring help and hope to places other relief groups cannot go Meet the Canadian helping stray dogs and cats displaced by war in Ukraine Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Then they hosted volunteers and staff from international charities."},{"_id":"WQJXUWPGOZHI7APDZPTKZEZJGA","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1687794533893},"content":"As the influx of refugees and aid workers subsided last fall They didn’t want to return home and run the risk of not being able to leave again because of wartime restrictions that banned adult men from going 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flat."},{"_id":"XLZ5UU577BCNVG6O3ZECC4RZVA","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1687794533900},"content":"“These couples,” Ms always holding hands.”"},{"_id":"GKWJ7EWEGBD4LIFZJ2VJLVPJPU","type":"raw_html","additional_properties":{"_id":"DIVONAEP5VEMPEW3MBRTW2WE34"},"content":"\n\n \n \n \n \n The Old Polish Apartment \"+a},giapp.buildHeader(\"#gi-header-template\",\"#gi-header\");\n<\/script>"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Anna Liminowicz","org":"","type":"author"},{"_id":"635648","type":"author","version":"0.5.8","name":"Paul Waldie","org":"London ","email":"pwaldie@globeandmail.com","contributor":false,"role":"Correspondent","slug":"paul-waldie","firstName":"Paul","longBio":"Paul Waldie is The Globe and Mail’s Europe Correspondent Paul has been a reporter and editor for 30 years, taking on everything from the Bre-X gold fraud to the conviction of Conrad Black, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Britain's departure from the European Union and the war in Ukraine numerous Wimbledon championships and spent a season with the Winnipeg Jets when the team made its triumphant return to the city in 2011 As editor of The Globe’s Report on Business section Paul managed the largest financial newsroom in Canada and was responsible for expanding the paper’s business and investment coverage in print and online In 2016, he moved to the UK to cover Britain and Europe. Since February 2022, he has been part of the team of Globe reporters covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He has been to Ukraine several times since the start of the war and his work on the refugee crisis has won accolades in Canada Paul has been a regular presence on television and radio He was a part-time host on Canada’s Business News Network for years and he's a regular contributor to radio outlets in Canada and the UK He’s won four National Newspaper Awards and been nominated for several other honours He also wrote a best-selling book on the McCain family called A House Divided Paul has also worked at the Vancouver Province the Financial Post and the National Post where he was national editor Tony Keller is a columnist with The Globe and Mail He joined The Globe in 1991 as an editorial writer; over a career of more than 30 years he has also served as editor of The Financial Post Magazine managing editor of Maclean’s and a TV news anchor on BNN (now BNN-Bloomberg) He returned to The Globe in 2013 to become the paper's editorials editor and remained in that position until 2022 he’s a graduate of Duke University and Yale Law School and has also been a visiting fellow at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Wilson Center in Washington D.C He’s been nominated three times for the National Newspaper Award for editorial writing Andrew Willis is a business columnist for the Report on Business Working in business communications and journalism for three decades from 2010 to 2016 he was senior vice-president of communications for Brookfield Asset Management a leading global alternative asset management company which exposed the ways that Canadian police services mishandle sexual assault cases training and practices around sexual violence Doolittle’s other notable projects include the “Power Gap”, an investigation of gender inequities in the workforce, and “Secret Canada,” which examines Canada’s broken freedom of information system She is the author of two books, “Had It Coming – What’s Fair In The Age of #MeToo?,” which was shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction, and “Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,” both of which were national bestsellers Jameson Berkow is the capital markets reporter for The Globe and Mail to cover the economic implications of cannabis legalization He left in early 2020 to start an entrepreneurship magazine and rejoined The Globe in early 2022 to cover financial regulation and governance for Globe Advisor With more than a decade of experience in financial journalism Jameson was most recently the senior reporter for BNN Bloomberg (formerly the Business News Network) where he led live daily coverage of major business news from the television station’s Toronto headquarters He previously worked as the station’s Western Canada bureau chief based in Calgary where his reporting on pipeline politics and the 2014 oil price crash was nominated for numerous awards.\nHis series of reports from Fort McMurray Alberta in 2015 was a finalist for the RTDNA Dave Rogers Award Jameson was the technology reporter for the Financial Post in Toronto where he created and hosted the FP Tech Desk podcast and authored the weekly Startup Spotlight profile series Jameson got his start in journalism in 2007 as a fact-checker for Toronto Life magazine where his first byline was for a story about two dogs getting married Have you signed up yet for my twice-weekly e-mail newsletter, Carrick on Money? Subscribe here Paul Attfield is a reporter at The Globe and Mail Born in England and raised both there and in France Paul is now a dual citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom He has called Toronto home since moving there from London in 2005 Working in The Globe’s sports department since 2006 Paul started out covering predominantly soccer and rugby he has become more of a general assignment reporter writing about pretty much anything involving a bat Temur Durrani is a national reporter for The Globe and Mail a Globe business podcast about how our failures shape us he was a technology reporter for The Globe’s Report on Business he broke news and wrote extensively about Canadian firms like Shopify turbulence in global cryptocurrency markets A globe-trotting newshound hailing from British Columbia and even the Raptors’ historic run to the NBA final Before joining The Globe in February of 2022 where he reported investigative stories and business features for broadcast and digital audiences he was a staffer at the Winnipeg Free Press A juror since 2021 for the annual Dalton Camp Award which grants young writers with a $10,000 prize for the best essay on the link between media and democracy TV and radio panels to provide news analysis He speaks in six languages fluently or conversationally (guess which ones!) takes his caffeinated beverages very seriously Carrie Tait is a reporter in The Globe and Mail’s Calgary Bureau Her coverage ranges from race relations in her home province of Saskatchewan to the lighthearted topic of skiing cats in Alberta Carrie has reported on the wildfires and floods in Alberta and British Columbia; how Cargill’s meat-processing plant in High River became the site of Canada’s largest single outbreak of COVID-19; and naming trends among Calgary Stampede participants she covered energy for the Globe’s Report on Business and has also reported for the National Post She joined the National Post’s Calgary bureau in 2008 Barry Hertz is the Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail He previously served as the Executive Producer of Features for the National Post and was a manager and writer at Maclean’s before that Barry’s arts and culture writing has also been featured in several publications, including Reader’s Digest and NOW Magazine. His favourite film franchise is the Fast and Furious series and he will offer no apologies for that fact Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre depart a polling station after voting in Ottawa on Monday Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that more than 377,000 Ukrainians had entered Poland since Russia’s invasion began last Thursday This article was published more than 3 years ago has been turned into a shelter housing 90 refugees per night Przemysl is near Poland's border with Ukraine and has become a crossing point for many fleeing the Russian invasion.Photography by Anna Liminowicz/The Globe and Mail Poland is starting to show the strain of welcoming nearly 400,000 Ukrainians with some shelters near the border now restricting how long refugees can stay The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that more than 377,000 Ukrainians had entered Poland since Russia’s invasion began last Thursday, including 100,000 on Monday alone The ministry added that the government has set up 49 reception points across the country to provide information medical help and temporary shelter to refugees there are growing signs that the official response to the crisis has been haphazard and that most of the critical support for the influx of people is coming from a stretched network of non-profit groups and ordinary Poles a small city close to the Ukrainian border have been scrambling to cope with a surge of Ukrainians arriving at the train station and the highway border crossing On Monday the city announced that refugees can stay for only two nights in the city’s handful of shelters That has left many refugees camped out at the train station overnight or staying in tents set up by volunteers next to an abandoned shopping mall on the outskirts of town where city buses drop off those who arrive on foot at the border crossing has been counting on new arrivals moving on to other parts of Poland or the European Union given the widespread family connections many Ukrainians have across the EU but many people worry that as more and more Ukrainians flee the conflict hundreds of thousands will stay in Poland because they have nowhere else to go they will need a permanent place to live,” said Nazar Lyko a volunteer with the local Ukrainian community association “This is where the central government should kick in.” a mute Ukrainian refugee signals to volunteers that he is looking for clothes for his family; at bottom which is where many are spending their nights as the city scrambles to find room for everyone While the response from the central government has been uneven Poles have filled the gaps with extraordinary generosity Thousands of people across the country have joined Facebook groups offering free accommodation At the empty shopping mall on the edge of Przemysl dozens of volunteers banded together and built a makeshift camp with several heated tents As soon as a busload of refugees arrives from the border crossing volunteers in green vests offer them help finding rides or local accommodation “There is no centralized structure whatever Jolanta Glogowska and her sister have taken in a family of three Ukrainians – a mother and her two daughters – and she’s working with neighbours to house many more “Just about everyone in this village is helping,” she said Tuesday “There’s nothing really organized from the top She’s worried that the lack of a national strategy could dampen the current outpouring of support and leave those who are helping burnt out and frustrated is sharing her house outside Przemysl with the Lazar family of Ukraine: Mother Galina Past Daniel Kempa sought official guidance on what to do with the refugees Daniel Kempa was already feeling exasperated on Tuesday He’s a member of a Pentecostal church in Przemysl and the congregation has been desperate to do something but doesn’t know how While the pastor has been in contact with the government Kempa said the only response so far has been: We’ll get back to you arrived at the shopping mall parking lot on Tuesday eager to offer two free rooms in his house to a family he had no idea whom to approach or how to get involved “I don’t know how it works,” he said as he surveyed the commotion Malgorzata Ziober is principal of Przemysl’s School No principal Malgorzata Ziober has been facing similar trying circumstances The school is home to one of the city’s shelters Ziober has been accommodating 90 refugees a night on cots in the gym Several hallways are lined with boxes of donated clothing food and drinks; a large television screen has been erected to display train departure times Ziober to make sure the refugees aren’t overstaying their two-day limit She added that buses take refugees to Warsaw or other cities and from there they either carry on travelling or find somewhere to stay She’s not thrilled with the arrangement and wishes donations could be better organized along with volunteers who often show up unannounced or not at all Keeping track of everyone coming and going from the shelter has been a challenge and sorting through donations has grown cumbersome the school has received mountains of T-shirts Ziober said she badly needs men’s underwear Daryona Solodka holds cat Ostap Bender at the school in Przemysl refugees such as Daryona Solodka say the school shelter has been a godsend arrived from Kyiv early Tuesday morning with her mother and brother dodging air strikes and following the Ukrainian army at one point Solodka said as she sipped hot soup in the school’s lunchroom who’d become a popular addition to the school The family plan to head to Munich where Ms Solodka has an older brother who works for Google she was just grateful to be somewhere more peaceful International correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe spoke with The Decibel from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, about how the landlocked country has opened its arms to refugees. Subscribe for more episodes. How can I help Ukrainian families? Resources and tips for Canadians Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest nations, opens its doors and offers jobs to thousands of fleeing Ukrainians For Ukrainians in Poland, hope lives at the humble Marko Hotel Africans and Asians fleeing Ukraine subjected to racial discrimination Former Afghan translator for Canada flees Ukraine to safety International correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe spoke with The Decibel from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, about how the landlocked country has opened its arms to refugees. Subscribe for more episodes. Paul Waldie is The Globe and Mail’s Europe Correspondent is ordinarily a sleepy place in southeastern Poland sitting about eight miles from the Ukrainian border with a statue of Pope John Paul II in its center Przemyśl was once a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and its buildings look Viennese rather than Soviet Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned the town into the first stop in the European Union for refugees fleeing the conflict—and the last stop for those headed into a war zone. The United Nations’ refugee agency estimates that about a half a million people have fled Ukraine since last week in one of the fastest human migrations in decades Przemyśl is directly on the rail line to Kyiv is preparing for up to four million to leave the nation of 44 million At Przemyśl’s beautiful nineteenth-century railway station trains from the Ukrainian city of Lviv arrive filled with Ukrainian women and children (Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 cannot leave the country.) The distance between the two cities is only 60 miles with some trips taking as long as 26 hours The station has been filled with people sleeping there (the few hotels are all booked) who come from as far away as Africa and India fleeing Ukraine and headed for unfamiliar cities farther inside Poland A robust volunteer effort organized by the local fire department and assisted by some recent Ukrainian refugees gives weary travelers sandwiches and hot tea Arrivals get free SIM cards that work in the EU Poles with cardboard signs offer free rides to other cities While the welcome effort is impressively organized arrivals universally described the journey from Ukraine as harrowing had lived in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv for eight years where he had been studying pediatric dentistry his journey culminating in a 26-hour train ride from Lviv he said parents were staying behind and pushing their children onto the train He said Ukraine was scarier than Lebanon: “Here The commuter train ran just every few hours and was not easily marked from the border crossing Polish guards yelled in English at Africans and Middle Easterners (many of whom spoke Russian) not to crowd the free buses Fights nearly broke out between those waiting for the bus Ukrainians trickled in from the other side of the border very slowly as family and friends waited who works at a shoe store in the German city of Darmstadt was waiting by the road in Medyka for her daughter—who had been stuck in a miles-long traffic jam for 16 hours with her two children and their dog—to arrive from the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil She described Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskiy as “super” but was irate at the Ukrainian border guards who were only letting “expensive cars” through a native of Cameroon who owns a business in the city of Zhytomyr a distance of about 50 miles with no sizable towns along the way He said it took three days and he had gotten about “five minutes” of sleep and he reported seeing a dead body along the road “There shouldn’t be a place in the twenty-first century in civilization for conflicts like this,” he said where he was going to wait and see how the war would play out She said she was headed to the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to try to pick up her 6-year-old son and to try to take her elderly mother to safety who gave their names as Valentin and Yulia said they also were headed back to Ukraine Valentin had worked in a discount supermarket in Przemyśl for about half a year and said he was going back to fight “The whole country is afraid,” he said when asked if he was scared adoptable dogs enjoy a unique living arrangement: their own cottage homes instead of traditional kennels This innovative setup helps the dogs receive extensive socialization and training preparing them to integrate more seamlessly into family life The facility also includes an on-site rehabilitation center enabling Dog Village to care for more complex cases that might not receive the necessary attention at a typical shelter By familiarizing the dogs with a home-like environment Dog Village increases their chances of being adopted even for those who might otherwise be overlooked Dog Village operates through donations to the ADA Foundation (Fundacja ADA) Zobaczmy co w piątkowy poranek dzieje się w Psiej Wiosce You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed So, it was to everyone’s surprise that the European Commission this week put forward a proposal to use it in response to the influx of refugees from Ukraine offers answers to the present situation by providing immediate protection and rights reducing pressure on national asylum systems enhancing solidarity and responsibility sharing Once the European Council formally adopts the proposal in the coming days In a second round of talks overnight, Russia and Ukraine agreed to create humanitarian corridors to enable the evacuation of civilians Temporary protection is a pragmatic response to people fleeing areas of conflict emergency mechanism that avoids the need for an individual assessment of people’s protection needs and instead enables large numbers of people to receive protection on the basis of the situation they have fled This is very different from the notion of temporary protection in Australia it is a diminished form of protection provided to refugees who arrived in Australia without a visa or who were not permitted to clear immigration at the airport because they expressed an intention to apply for asylum (rather than enter for the purpose on their visa) Temporary protection will provide a much-needed lifeline to the million people who have fled Ukraine in the past week – and the estimated millions to come then there is no need for this blanket approach it also “kick-start[s] a solidarity mechanism that asks all EU countries to share the responsibility” for hosting refugees in a consistent manner third-country nationals legally residing in Ukraine (including refugees and stateless person) beneficiaries of the EU’s temporary protection fall somewhere in the middle of asylum seekers and recognised refugees EU Member States may give priority to EU citizens and locals when hiring Protection only lasts for one year initially (unless it is safe to return sooner) the Directive requires that beneficiaries of temporary protection must be allowed to lodge an individual asylum claim at any time EU countries are not obliged to assess it before an applicant’s temporary protection status ends – and if they do assess it earlier then they may withdraw temporary protection rights while the asylum claim is on foot This may well deter people from making individual claims The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute Poland — This Polish city on the Ukrainian border has been witnessing a surprising phenomenon — thousands of Ukrainian refugees heading back to their homeland even as Russia continues to wage war there According to the latest figures from the Polish border police around 13,000 people returned on Tuesday and 12,000 crossed back on Monday Over 370,000 are estimated to have returned since Russia’s invasion began on February 24 or could not find or afford accommodation outside refugee camps which has hosted around 2.3 million Ukrainians delays in receiving subsistence funds from the government led some to decide to head home.  long lines form in front of trains headed for the cities of Lviv which returned to Ukraine empty at the beginning of the invasion.  “It’s always better at home,” said Lilia Shuba a teacher from Vynohradiv in western Ukraine My husband volunteered for the army and there’s nobody in our house.”  She and her 3-year-old son Oleksandr spent 13 hours on the Hungarian border on their way out of Ukraine.  “I left to gather my strength and now we will go back to wait out the end of the war in Ukraine,” she said Przemyśl has been Europe’s biggest hub for Ukrainians fleeing their homeland and thousands of new refugees still arrive every day Almost every shop window bears a Ukrainian flag and banners and billboards welcoming Ukrainians are seen all over the medieval Polish city which was a popular tourist destination before the pandemic those fleeing and those returning now cross paths for a few hours every day and exchange experiences.  “We are aware of reported returns to Ukraine and we respect people’s choice,” said Victoria Andrievska “They are in a better position to assess their personal situation UNHCR is not assisting people to return at the moment,” she said.  International volunteers from Western European countries such as the U.K and Spain can be seen all over the train station toys for their children and even vaccines for their pets. The volunteers also report refugees heading back in significant numbers “We have seen several thousand going back through Przemyśl every day we likely see most of the people going back,” said Ada Wordsworth who interrupted her master’s degree in Slavonic studies at the University of Oxford to help with the crisis and has been assisting with Russian translation for three weeks.  The first family I met that was going back wanted to go to Kharkiv,” she recalled referring to the Ukrainian city that has been heavily bombarded by Russian forces.  usually to retrieve pets or family members after first leaving the country on their own.  “Western media want to see Ukraine as this gray depressing post-Soviet space that nobody would want to go back to but actually everyone I have spoken to has said they want to return as soon as they possibly can,” Wordsworth said.  “Generally it is people who have not been able to find work Others have been scammed and lost a lot of money in Poland,” she said.  She and other volunteers say the EU needs to recognize that most Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Poland or Moldova where the language and surroundings are more similar to their own and that funds should be redirected there from the rest of the bloc.  “The current trend of returns messes with the perception in the West that their countries are the be-all-end-all and that everyone just wants to end up there,” she said a historian at the Polish Academy of Sciences who has published several books on migration a number of people decide to return even when they intended to stay because the migration experience is not what they expected it to be,” he said “The emotional needs of some people may be stronger than the fear of war They might interpret news from Ukraine in a way that strengthens their resolve to come back,” said Stola “The emotional cost of separation under dramatic conditions may appear greater than the fear of possibly being affected by Russian shelling.”  Those who left initially “could decide that it’s better for them to stay with family and friends and people you love rather than being away and waking up every day worried about what happened to their husbands parents and others they left behind in Ukraine,” he said A worsening showdown across the Atlantic could spell trouble for the candidate country Bosnia’s most wanted man turns up in Russia after Sarajevo requested Interpol issue a red notice for his international arrest As the biggest protests since Slobodan Milošević’s regime rock Belgrade POLITICO explains everything you need to know ever-growing anti-government demonstrations have circled back to the Serbian capital Non-white refugees face violence and racist abuse in Przemyśl as police warn of fake reports of ‘migrants committing crimes’ south Asian and Middle Eastern people who had crossed the border last night Attackers dressed in black sought out groups of non-white refugees, mainly students who had just arrived in Poland at Przemyśl train station from cities in Ukraine after the Russian invasion three Indians were beaten up by a group of five men these men started to shout and yell against groups of African and Middle Eastern refugees who were outside the train station,” two Polish journalists from the press agency OKO “They yelled at them: ‘Go back to the train station Police intervened and riot officers were deployed after groups of men arrived chanting “Przemyśl always Polish” “I was with my friends, buying something to eat outside,” said Sara, 22, from Egypt, a student in Ukraine. “These men came and started to harass a group of men from Nigeria They wouldn’t let an African boy go inside a place to eat some food Then they came towards us and yelled: ‘Go back to your country.’” police in Poland warned that groups linked to the far right are already spreading false information about alleged crimes committed by people from Africa and the Middle East fleeing war in Ukraine Przemyśl police said on Twitter: “In the media there is false information that serious crimes have occurred in Przemyśl and the border: burglaries The police did not record an increased number of crimes in connection with the situation at the border According to the news website Notes From Poland named Przemyśl Always Polish (Przemyśl Zawsze Polski) has been spreading false claims that “economic migrants from the Middle East” were committing crimes “including a knife attack on a young woman and numerous thefts from shops” The attacks on people fleeing the war come amid efforts by some African governments to evacuate their citizens who have passed into countries bordering Ukraine after reports of racist abuse and discrimination Nigeria’s foreign ministry said it planned to start airlifting more than 1,000 Nigerians stranded in countries neighbouring Ukraine Many of the foreign nationals fleeing the Russian attacks are students. About 16,000 African students were studying in the country before the invasion, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa said this week Reports and footage on social media in the past week have shown acts of discrimination and violence against African south Asian and Caribbean citizens while fleeing Ukrainian cities and at some of the country’s border posts After eventually crossing the border, she boarded a free bus, organised by an NGO, to a hotel near Warsaw that was offering free board to Ukrainian refugees. But the hotel refused to take her and her Kenyan friends in, even after she offered to pay for a room. However, other foreign nationals interviewed by the Guardian said that they had been treated well by the Polish authorities, with many of the reports of racial abuse occurring on the Ukrainian side of the border. said on Monday: “All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under the UN convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference,” citing reports that Ukrainian police had obstructed Nigerians and from those in contact with … Nigerian consular officials there have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards Ukraine-Poland border,” he said said: “Ukraine’s government spares no effort to solve the problem.” “Africans seeking evacuation are our friends and need to have equal opportunities to return to their home countries safely,” he said in a statement on Twitter Ghana, South Africa and Ivory Coast are also among a growing number of African countries seeking to evacuate their citizens in response to reports of discrimination and violence that have sparked widespread outrage Some African governments are making plans to evacuate citizens who have passed into countries bordering Ukraine after reports of racist abuse and discrimination Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The GuardianIn Nigeria permanent secretary for the ministry of foreign affairs said three jets chartered from local carriers would leave the country on Wednesday with the capacity to bring back nearly 1,300 people from Poland Rights groups have welcomed the efforts by Poland to help, but some drew comparisons with the treatment of other refugees from Syria Afghanistan and Kurdish Iraqis in the country where the populist rightwing government has often played on anti-refugee sentiment airborne troops in Poland set up camp near Ukrainian borderMembers of the 82nd Airborne Division set up camp in Poland Army soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Poland to reassure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression encamp at an operating base 6KM from the Ukrainian border © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Mar 2, 2022 | Society Three Indians were attacked last night in a Polish town close to the border where refugees from Ukraine have been arriving in large numbers Nationalist football hooligans have come to the town to campaign against non-white people being let into Poland But the police have warned that such groups are spreading false information about crimes being committed by people who have fled from Ukraine and experts suggest that they could be part of a Russian disinformation campaign It's not true. I spent 2 nights at Przemyśl train station and I can say there was a lot of non white people, they were treated with kindness and respect, just like everybody else. pic.twitter.com/b6kpui12RF — Miguel A Gayo Macías (@MiguelitoPol) February 28, 2022 around 12 kilometres from the border with Ukraine has become a major reception point for refugees arriving by train or via the nearby border crossing at Medyka Polish authorities, as well as a range of charities, NGOs and individuals, have been providing support, supplies and temporary accommodation to those arriving in the town who have included a significant number of non-Ukrainians Despite widespread reports that Poland has been turning away or otherwise mistreating non-white refugees evidence has shown that such situations have happened on the Ukrainian side of the border The Polish authorities have emphasised that they treat all those arriving equally ‼️DON'T BE MISINFORMED!‼️Polans helps to everyone. Nearly 150 students were picked up by the Polish soldiers from the border and helped them reach the airport in Warsaw. #FactsMatter #PolandFirstToHelp pic.twitter.com/TOJ3EVCZhT — Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) March 1, 2022 Meanwhile, some groups of football hooligans – who in Poland often have nationalist sympathies – have been arriving in Przemyśl to oppose the reception of non-white refugees titled Przemyśl Always Polish (Przemyśl Zawsze Polski) yesterday spread claims that “economic migrants from the Middle East” were committing crimes in the town including a knife attack on a young woman and “numerous thefts” from shops Przed dworcem w Przemyślu grupa kilkudziesięciu agresywnych mężczyzn atakuje uchodźców i działaczy organizacji pomocowych. Na miejscu jest nasza dziennikarka Anna Mikulska pic.twitter.com/Aas8OH1ydm — OKO.press (@oko_press) March 1, 2022 It said that fans from five local football clubs had been “conducting an action to clean the town” and shared a video of one group carrying out a “civic patrol” by following a black man through the streets One popular right-wing Twitter account posted videos showing football fans “chasing black immigrants who are attacking women in Przemyśl” 2. Przemyśl. Kibice Polonii, Czuwaj i JKS Jarosław ścigają czarnoskórych imigrantów który atakują kobiety w Przemyślu. 🔞🔞 pic.twitter.com/Cjifjg0AST — PrawyPopulista 🇵🇱 (@PrawaStronaa) March 1, 2022 Their actions received support from some members of the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party, one of whose leaders and MPs, Grzegorz Braun, tweeted that he “supports civic patrols” the provincial police headquarters yesterday evening warned that claims of serious crimes being committed in Przemyśl are false “The police have not recorded an increased number of crimes in connection with the situation at the border.” W mediach społ. pojawiają się fałszywe informacje, że w Przemyślu i powiatach przygranicznych doszło do poważnych przestępstw krymin.: włamań, napaści i zgwałceń. To nieprawda. Policja nie odnotowała zwiększonej ilości przestępstw w związku z sytuacją na granicy. #StopFakeNews — Podkarpacka Policja (@Rz_Policja) March 1, 2022 the police also confirmed reports that three Indians had been beaten up by a group of five men in Przemyśl The incident had earlier been reported by Gazeta Wyborcza one of whose photojournalists was on the scene that they were attacked by men with baseball bats and bottles The newspaper also reported that riot police were deployed in Przemyśl after groups of men dressed in black arrived chanting “Przemyśl always Polish” suggested that what has been happening in Przemyśl is part of “an information war” aimed at “destabilising Poland” “Claims about a ‘threat’ from refugees, a few unclear clips, scaring with [claims about] ‘blacks’. Meanwhile, nationalists/football fans are attacking people in Przemyśl and escalating the chaos. Let’s be vigilant because the saboteurs are already working,” tweeted Zygmuntowski Similar claims were made by Beata Górka-Winter, a Polish security expert, who suggested that “Russian agencies are spreading rumours about immigrants ‘flooding’ Poland” — Weronika Grzebalska (@WeronikaZuzanna) March 2, 2022 Main image credit: Lukasz Cynalewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR (ANS – Przemyśl) – Salesian work in Przemyśl has already existed for more than a hundred years The central ceremony of this important anniversary took place on Sunday and was accompanied by a concert by the "Fausystem" youth band  and the handover of recognition to former parish priests and various benefactors and parishioners stressed the value of the Salesian charism for the city and the merits of the Sons of Don Bosco in the work of educating the young people there at the invitation of the then bishop of Przemyśl who discussed the matter first with Don Bosco and then with his First Successor It was Fr Rua himself who gave permission to build the religious house and the church and to erect the parish Two great Salesians worked in Przemyśl: the Venerable Cardinal August Hlond Primate of Poland; and Fr Antoni Hlond (Chlondowski) an exceptional composer and founder of the Organ School which unfortunately was later closed by the Communist authorities A Salesian school for poor young people was also founded in the Salesian house in Przemyśl sponsoring the "Sacrosong" Festival of Religious Chants in 1975 an exhibition of photographs and archival documents was also prepared both of the parish and of the independence of Poland The exhibition was organised by a parishioner who used his extensive collections for this purpose the Polish Post Office issued a commemorative philatelic sheet which gives an account of the many events that occurred in the hundred years of the Salesian parish of Przemyśl with a great impact on the entire citizenship The history of the St Joseph's parish is linked to the arrival of the Salesians in Przemyśl bought a one-storey house with agricultural buildings and arable land and handed them over to the Salesians the Salesians settled in the donated house at the intersection of San Giovanni Nepomuceno and Monsignor Jakub Glazer streets and began to organise religious and pastoral life sometimes very neglected or demoralised by the soldiers from the nearby barracks In an outpost established in the Zasanie district of the city in June 1910 construction began on an institute under the direction of engineer Józef Wojtyga The consecration of the two-storey building took place in October 1911 by Bishop Pelczar in the presence of the Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation who came from Italy to attend the ceremony After the construction of the oratory premises equipped with a large chapel to serve young people and the faithful in general on 12 August 1912 the construction of the actual church began according to plans drawn up by the architect in collaboration with  architect Stanisław Majorski and engineer Stefan Muller of Krakow Bishop Pelczar consecrated the foundation stone of the new church But due to the outbreak of the First World War the school was transformed into a military hospital only the central nave of the Church had been built Only after the end of hostilities did the construction resume with the installation of the roof on the side aisles an elegant Gothic vault rested on the slender pillars of the central nave Fundraising for the new church was handled by the committee for the construction of the church former Dean of the secondary school in Zasanie The church was consecrated by Bishop Pelczar on 18 November 1923 On that day he also erected it as a parish dedicated to Saint Joseph Fr Antoni Hlond was its first parish priest and Fr Rudolf Komorek Inside the church in the vestibule of the side aisle there is a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and a crypt with the coffin of Blessed August Czartoryski The crypt contained the relics of Czartoryski during the function of thanksgiving for his beatification they were solemnly transferred to the side altar dedicated to Mary Help of Christians and placed in the prelude to the altar – an altar completely renovated in 2004 with the financial participation of the Municipality of Przemyśl Either side of the sanctuary are the sacristy which joins the Salesian School – in fact the August Czartoryski Salesian school has also been operating since 2001 World War II providentially spared the church before the feast of Corpus Christi on 30 May 1945 there was an attack by the soldiers of the Red Army resulting in the death of two Salesians: Ludwik Cienciała and Fr Jan Dolata This tragic event is commemorated by a large cross and an epitaph on the wall of the former presbytery the church with its furnishings and the adjacent building ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements (ANS – Przemyśl) – The Przemyśl Region Museum hosted a conference on 3 and 4 June 2023 dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the foundation of St Joseph’s Salesian parish in Przemyśl organised in advance of solemn celebrations for the centenary of the Salesian parish (18 November 1923 – 2023) explored the theme “The Salesians in Przemyśl: history - identity – culture” and was divided into two parts: “Footprints from the past” and “Salesian identity – culture – art” At the opening of the conference were Jan Jarosz director of the National Museum of the Przemyśl Region parish priest of the parish dedicated to St Joseph Metropolitan Archbishop of Przemyśl; Fr Jan Pietrzykowski from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University from the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS) in Rome; Dr Marcin Kapłon Przemyśl; Tomasz Ślusarczyk from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow There was discussion during the conference of the history of the Latin Rite Catholic community in the city and the establishment of St Joseph’s parish in Przemyśl in 1923 Bishop Szal pointed to the figure of Bishop Józef Sebastian Pelczar as the main person who helped bring the Salesians to Przemyśl spoke about the origins of the Salesians in Przemyśl described the documents concerning Przemyśl found in the Salesian Central Archives in Rome; and Fr Artur Świeży addressed the theme of Salesian pastoral care in the parish in Przemyśl An important point of the conference was dedicated to the work done by Italian architect Mario Ceradini in designing the church and its decoration And in the circumstances it was also recalled that Marian Stroński also contributed to embellishments of the church from the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) and President of the Scientific Society of Francis de Sales moderated this first part The second part of the event was moderated by Fr Stanisław Kulpaczyński also from the Catholic University of Lublin The conference also included the opening of an exhibition entitled “Salesian Przemyśl: sacrum and culture The centenary of St Joseph’s parish in Przemyśl” The exhibition presents objects from the parish archives and the Przemyśl State Archives it is worth recalling that the city of Przemyśl which is located near the border with Ukraine has recently been a central hub for assistance and aid to refugees who have fled the war sought refuge in Poland and in this city in particular and the Sons of Don Bosco distinguished themselves in this service by welcoming as many people as possible with open arms Hundreds of Ukrainians have begun crossing the country's western border into neighboring Poland just hours after Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine early Thursday morning.  Ukrainian citizens fleeing the newfound war are flocking to Poland whose inclusion in both the European Union and NATO offer an extra layer of security and support from military allies throughout Europe.  Fleeing refugees told The Wall Street Journal that their journeys to Poland were long and arduous the outlet reported that multiple buses and minivans were crowded into a parking lot waiting to pick up Ukrainians moving on All our buses are full," a bus driver told the newspaper Most of our customers are women with children and they are very afraid." The country is home to more than one million Ukrainians The welcome centers will offer medical care and food, as well as a gathering place to receive information and updates, Polish officials said, according to Al Jazeera As Insider previously reported Central Europe is bracing for a possible migrant crisis following Russia's violent invasion.  Insider previously reported that multiple countries in the region are making fast preparations for incoming refugees.  parish priest of the Salesian parish of St announced with great joy that the church of St Joseph the Educator and Protector of the Church had been elevated to a Shrine The decree on the establishment of the Shrine will be read by Archbishop Adam Szal Home / News / Community Sean Kennedy raising funds to keep serving meals that warm refugees’ hearts and bodies An Iowa City native is among those doing relief work on the Ukrainian border to assist refugees fleeing the country amid Russia’s invasion serving up what he considers to be the “tastiest food on the border” to the thousands forced to leave their homes to seek safety a project developer at Megawatt Photovoltaic Development and alum of City High School and the University of Iowa through most of this week volunteering with World Central Kitchen a not-for-profit organization that provides meals in the wake of natural disasters Kennedy said the organization is cooking and distributing between 10,000 and 20,000 hot meals a day to Ukrainians making the trek across the border at checkpoints in refugee camps and train stations around the area He considers their cooking to be top-notch — one Ukrainian woman said the group’s borscht World Central Kitchen cooks food that is already familiar to the people being served so they can have comfort food amid a crisis have something that warms their heart as well as their body,” Kennedy said Kennedy has been to Ukraine 10 or so times Soon after Russia President Vladimir Putin began the invasion Kennedy said he “couldn't stand watching what's happening in Ukraine on television anymore” and decided he ought to go do something to help he’s found Ukrainian people to be earnest fun and generous — willing to offer everything even when they have little “They believe in their country,” Kennedy said They're absolutely resolute in who they are and what they want for a future which is the better future that the European Union can give them.” The World Central Kitchen volunteers greet people who are walking across the border and arrive hungry They’ve often had little more than cold sandwiches to eat for days Most of the refugees are women and children as men ages 18 through 60 can’t leave while Ukraine is under martial law “There are people that once they cross the border “You don't know if they're crying because of happiness 'I made it,' or because they've left the country or because of exhaustion But the gratitude they show us in this circumstance is confounding because we should have that gratitude for them — expressing our gratitude for the struggle they're going through on behalf of democracy.” Much of World Central Kitchen’s work is being done by volunteers who have traveled to the border at their own expense and housing is scarce because of the influx of refugees He advised those looking to help from the U.S to send money rather than objects so it can be used for things the refugees need or for the organizations assisting them The Ukrainians will be in need of support for a long time people’s homes have been destroyed,” Kennedy said “People will be refugees one way or another for a long time.” Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for over 140 years independent journalism with a subscription today © 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved A bus carrying Ukrainian refugees arrives at a processing center in Moszczany | Photographs by Bradley Secker for POLITICO More than two million people have so far fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded it on February 24 more than half of those — mostly women and children — have escaped to Poland The seemingly endless number of people streaming into Polish border towns are making their way by train Any means will do when your country is a war zone.  Though many comparisons have been made between the current situation and the “refugee crisis” of 2015 — when more than a million people arrived at the European Union’s border from countries such as Syria Eritrea and Iraq — newly displaced Ukrainians seem to be uniting Europe Throngs of new arrivals gather at the Medyka border crossing point Ukrainian refugees await rides to reception centers and transport hubs to continue their journeys west Buses drop refugees in a former supermarket carpark in the town of Przemyśl where men greet passengers with signs offering free onward rides We are witnessing the Continent’s quickest and largest refugee intake since World War II The U.N.’s Refugee Agency expects as many as 4 million people may flee as the conflict continues but that figure could fall well short of reality an army of volunteers from Poland and across Europe greets new arrivals handing out hot meals and pre-loaded SIM cards then directing their new neighbors toward mounds of donated clothing and to former supermarket warehouses and car parks Arrival points are lined with men holding up signs with European city names written in Ukrainian and English helping to guide those traveling by bus or train warning Ukrainian women and children of the risk involved in accepting free transport — and the dangers of abuse and human trafficking.  It is an altogether different sort of welcome from what thousands of migrants and refugees faced earlier this year attempting to cross from Belarus to Poland They were met with fierce resistance from Polish border guards and soldiers rather than open arms A former supermarket warehouse in Przemyśl is now a temporary reception center filled with camp beds Newly arrived Ukrainian refugees sort through donations of clothing and hygiene products in a converted shopping centre carpark in Przemyśl Once Russia’s assault on the country began non-Ukrainian citizens who had been living in the country were Many recounted interactions at border crossings that felt distinctly racist — at the hands of both Ukrainian and Polish authorities: White Ukrainian citizens were led to the front of the queue while those who didn’t look the part were pushed to the back For those who make it across the border — more than a million so far — Przemyśl train station is their gateway to the EU free of charge for Ukrainian passport holders taking them to larger Polish cities like Warsaw and Krakow connecting trains can take them further west with so many lives suddenly uprooted and a war zone in the distance prevails: They’ve made it out — to safety — and Europe’s response has allowed them to stay while another watches the flurry of activity from their makeshift living quarters on the floor of the Przemyśl train station near the Ukrainian border Trains bound for Polish cities further west are crowded with Ukrainian refugees at the Przemyśl station A child rests on a floor-turned-bed inside a Tesco warehouse-turned-shelter Refugees at a new processing and arrivals center in the border town of Moszczany Volunteers sort piles of donated food and clothing in Przemyśl A group of Pakistani men sleep in a temporary shelter at the border crossing point in Medyka A child takes a last look at the Przemyśl train station while boarding a train heading west.