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 and left for neighboring Poland with their two young children "I worried that maybe the Polish would not want us," says Kudlach who's from the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil She says Polish border guards carried the family's luggage and wrapped her children — Nazar Volunteers at a reception center in the village of Korczowa handed them hot soup Kudlach spotted a cheerful woman smiling at them "You just saw that they were very good people who had to be helped at all costs." This scene has replayed again and again in Poland, the country that's taken in the most Ukrainian refugees by far — 2.3 million — since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb volunteers and nonprofits have largely cared for Ukrainians arriving here And the Polish government continues to welcome Ukrainians even as housing options dwindle prompting local authorities to open shelters around the country and social services are pushed to the limit a 33-year-old lawyer in the Polish city of Rzeszow and we have our own history with Russia," she says referring to the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 and its decades behind the Iron Curtain Stankowska-Kobylecka is housing 22 Ukrainians — nine women and 13 children — in her late grandmother's stone-and-brick house in Rzeszow a city in southeastern Poland that has become a hub for Ukrainian refugees aid organizations and Western diplomats who left Ukraine after the invasion so dozens of friends helped Stankowska-Kobylecka and her husband clean and fix up the place in three days It's now the place Oksana Horysh and her three children call home a western Ukrainian city very close to the Polish border Her husband stayed behind to defend Ukraine we have been able to rest because we are tired with worry for my husband She and Stankowska-Kobylecka sit together on a sofa bed sharing freshly baked coconut cake with their children speaking in a hybrid of Ukrainian and Polish "I call Sabina to go to my home and have cake and coffee," she says "My friend — she helps us in a difficult time." Poland has taken in over half of the more than 4 million people who have fled Ukraine since the war began in February according to data from the United Nations refugee agency The Polish response to Ukrainian refugees has largely been a grassroots effort with some assistance from local authorities That generosity has been lauded by the United States and the European Union which are promising billions of dollars in aid to Poland But on another swath of the Polish border — the one with Belarus which is run by a close Kremlin ally — it's a very different story I cannot use a stronger metaphor to describe it," says Monika Matus thousands of refugees fleeing other conflicts have tried to enter the European Union from nonmember Belarus Belarusian authorities escorted these refugees to the border with Poland and cut the barbed wire fence separating the EU from Belarus Polish border guards violently pushed back the refugees "People crossing from Belarus have been on the road for many years trying to reach [the] European Union from Syria a political science professor at Syracuse University sees the same stark contrast between how Poland and other European countries welcome Ukrainians — and how they wanted to keep out non-European asylum-seekers arriving in 2015 She adds that "this conflict, as terrible and heart-wrenching as it has been, is really evidence that the European Union is more than capable of welcoming large numbers of refugees who are desperate for protection. ... I just wish we could bring this empathy to all refugee groups." Ela Zamorska, who's housing a Ukrainian mother and her two children in her apartment, says she would like to believe she would empathize with any refugee in need. She grew up hearing stories about her grandmother, who sheltered Polish Jews fleeing the Nazis. "My grandmother taught me that you should help people fighting for survival no matter what, even if you put yourself at risk," she says. But she admits it's easier for Poles to feel comfortable around Ukrainians, who have so much shared history and are next-door neighbors. While Zamorska is at work, Kudlach cooks borscht and dumplings — dishes that are also part of Polish cuisine — that they share for dinner. "I feel like she could almost be my sister," Zamorska says of Kudlach, who sits next to her at a table in Zamorska's small, tidy kitchen. Kudlach squeezes her hand. "I can speak with her about my husband, because I'm very worried about him, since he's in Ukraine and also a soldier, and I rarely hear from him," she says. "Ela listens to me, and our languages are similar enough that it's like she understands. It makes me feel better." Back in Rzeszow, Stankowska-Kobylecka and her family live two streets away from the Ukrainian families they're hosting in her grandmother's house. They spend a lot of time with each other. "We can see so much of ourselves in Ukraine, in our new friends," she says. "People in Poland are afraid, you know. Sometimes my friends ask me if we are prepared for war. Some even have packed luggage to take if they need to escape quickly." She hopes the Polish government drafts a long-term plan to care for Ukrainian refugees, especially as more arrive every day. She asks herself: Will there be enough work for everyone? Enough apartments? Enough spaces in schools? "Sometimes, I worry about keeping up with the bills, because in Poland bills for things like electricity are very expensive," she says. She's hoping the Polish government offers financial support to the many generous Poles housing Ukrainians in their family homes. But if this doesn't happen, Stankowska-Kobylecka says she will raise the money herself. Olga Halan, 31, comforts her daughter Sophia, 4, in Rzeszow, Poland, on March 14. "When the war started, my son was crying and afraid of war coming to Poland," she says. "And when he saw children leaving Ukraine, he cried even more, and said, 'Mom, bring them to us. Show them that they have another home.' " Szymon Grela contributed reporting from Strzyzow and Rzeszow, Poland. 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. Joanna Wisniowśka was a mother of two who was originally from Strzyzow in Poland but who was living with her family for some time in the Cloyne area. Joanna Wisniowśka, who died on Sunday after pushing her son onto the safety of rocks off Ballycroneen beach was described as “a superwoman” for saving her son “Joanna you are a superwoman for saving your son in his time of need and he will never forget your heroism that has given him the opportunity to make you a very proud mommy,” the fundraising appeal reads “There is nothing more precious than a mother's love and unfortunately two beautiful children will not get to experience the full loving potential that Joanna wanted to but won't have the chance to provide.”  The appeal was set up by Louise van Balderen whose daughter was with Ms Wisniowśka’s family at the beach on Sunday Ms van Balderen told PJ Coogan on Cork’s 96fm on Tuesday that mums are "the front-line of the family" "Dads are very important but mums know where the plasters are," she said.  “Joanna rocked up at the door and said does anybody want to go to the beach and it was just supposed to be a quick trip to the beach and back again “I think over the summer people just need to watch your kids and those rip tides—you don’t think how strong they are until something like this.” a mother of two who was originally from Strzyzow in Poland but who was living with her family for some time in the Cloyne area entered the water off Ballycroneen beach at around 1pm on Sunday when her son got into difficulty But while she managed to get her son onto the safety of rocks Ms Wisniowśka got into difficulty herself in the water A major rescue operation was launched by Valentia Coast Guard involving the Ballycotton and Crosshaven RNLI crews as well as local coast guard units and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 Members of the Ballycotton and Guileen coast guard units located the young boy on the rocks a short time later and he was winched to safety by the crew of Rescue 117 Ms Wisniowśka was rescued from the water some time later in a joint operation by both lifeboat crews and was transferred to Ballycotton pier from where she was airlifted in critical condition to Cork University Hospital Ms Wisniowśka, her partner Maciej and their children, Stanislaw and Zofia, were described as being “deeply rooted in the community”. Now, their friends have launched a GoFundMe to help them It reads: “The loss of anyone close to you is the hardest thing in the world but the death of a parent at a young age feels like everything around them has come to an end who represent all you hope to someday become a fraction of They are the ones we go to from ‘a scraped knee to a broken heart’ “They would even give their life to save yours not thinking twice “A lot of people have asked 'how can we help?' this would be a way you can show your support From the bottom of everyone's hearts we truly are devastated in this tragedy.”  From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in Follow and share the latest news and stories more cork - news articles Commemorating 100 years since the War of Independence 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 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 Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.