by Eric Yue
On February 25th, 2022, shortly after 9 pm PST, the Russia-Ukraine war reached its highest point since the start of the invasion. Russia’s missiles shattered the clear night sky and fired down a barrage of explosives across Ukraine, troops began to cross the border from the north, east, and south, all under the name of a “special military operation” from Putin.
As of March 14th, more than 2.8 million refugees have fled the country, according to the United Nations, and more than 1 million of them are children, who range from just below adulthood, to teenagers, to 5-year-olds, to even newborns.
The extent of the crisis is the greatest in Poland, where more than half of the refugees have fled. Poland had a long history of closing its border to refugees, mass protests broke out after Poland opened its borders to refugees during the Syria conflict in 2015, but the current situation had a different impact on Polish. All across the border, Ukrainian women, children, and the elderly are crossing with luggage and backpacks full of food and nothing else, leaving every single bit of their life behind.
Every person has nothing in their minds other than the sounds of bombs exploding, the destruction they have witnessed, and the hopes that friends and families are safe in underground bunkers. “I heard pistols firing, I was really scared, and in the morning my mother said ‘Please pack, we have to leave’” said 11-year-old Christina to NBC News on March 5th, 2022.
Poland and other nations have opened their borders with open arms, offering any help possible. All across the border, Ukrainians are greeted with a warm cup of soup and freshly baked bread. Now more than ever, people around the world are providing the support and assistance that refugees so desperately need. “I have never seen something like this in Poland like every house is open, every family is asking how can we help and what can we do.” said a CEO of a Polish gaming company, who has turned his office into a place for up to 50 refugees. He is just one of the thousands providing assistance and giving shelter for war refugees. And international organizations like UNICEF have stepped in the effort, supplying more than 70 tons of necessities so far.
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