From our special envoy to Poland,
According to UN figures, nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians have found refuge in Poland since the start of the Russian-led war in Ukraine. Although the situation is unprecedented for this country, it is nevertheless managed very effectively by local authorities and humanitarian organizations. 20 minutes went to the transit center set up in a former shopping center in Przemysl, a Polish town of 60,000 inhabitants a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The flow does not dry up as we saw on Thursday at Korczowa, a border post in southern Poland. It was 1 am, the temperature was minus 9°C. Despite these difficult conditions, war exiles still arrived continuously, in small groups of about ten people. As soon as they left Ukraine, the refugees were taken care of by soldiers and firefighters. A snack was offered to them before they were invited to board buses in the direction of Przemysl.
“Accommodation capacities are starting to be congested” in Poland
In this town, a former Tesco shopping center has been requisitioned by the local authorities to serve as a transit center. For all newcomers, the course is the same. On leaving the buses, the refugees are directed to an improvised counter in order to proceed with their registration: “The idea is to know how many people are arriving, who they are and whether they want to go to a particular place, to join loved ones, for example,” explains Maryna, a Franco-Polish volunteer from the NGO Première urgence.
The organization is square, managed by the municipality and many volunteers. All the cells in the shopping center have a specific role. Many have been equipped with cots for the refugees to rest on. The other cells in the center have been converted into a restaurant, pharmacy, baby supplies room, clothing room… “Most of the refugees who arrive are women, sometimes with children and often deprived of everything. Here, we give them what they need”, assures us another volunteer. “I didn’t already have much in Ukraine, today I have nothing. But I’m not going to complain, a lot of women left their husbands in the war. Not me, and I’m safe now,” says a young woman who arrived in Przemysl overnight with a friend.
“Several cases of women embarked by pimps”
Good intentions are not lacking. For everyone to find their place, the volunteers must also go through the registration box in order to make the best use of each person’s abilities. Interpreters, logisticians, caregivers… Once validated, they obtain accreditation indicating their role and wear vests to be easily identifiable by refugees. The last to have to register are the drivers offering their services to transport the refugees. “There, it is a matter of security, so as not to let people leave with anyone. There have been several cases of women who have been boarded up by pimps, ”says the Première urgence volunteer. Thus, posters posted in the transit center call for caution, encouraging refugees accepting transport to take a selfie with the driver, to photograph his license plate and to send everything to a trusted person.
Either out of mistrust or because Ukrainians do not want to leave their country, good souls offering accommodation in other European countries are struggling to find candidates. This is the case of Jean-Christophe, who arrived in Przemysl from Luxembourg four days ago. “I came to bring food and baby supplies hoping to leave with a few people. I thought it would be easier to find but it took time, ”admits the forties. His patience paid off as a young woman, her daughter and her dog are ready to make the long journey. Other drivers, posted in front of the entrance to the center, sign indicating the destination in hand, have less success. The GSCF Humanitarian Firefighters, an NGO in northern France, has just delivered 38 tonnes of equipment and supplies to the centre. If they had been able to repatriate a young couple to France last week, on their return from their first mission, they did not find any Ukrainians to transport this time.
Outside the centre, in the large car park, an ersatz market has been organised. Countless humanitarian organizations have parked their vehicles there, adorned with their respective logos. “Last week, there were even more,” recalls Gentil De Passos, a volunteer with the GSCF association. There are also plenty of stalls offering food from very different backgrounds for free. From Polish cuisine to the famous German sausage, Bolognese pasta served by Belgian firefighters or fries with ketchup prepared by an Indian vegan food truck.
On the other side, stalls of various supplies, for children, animals and even telephone operators who distribute SIM cards for free. Here and there, clothes are left in heaps. “We have everything we need on that side, we have to tell people to stop sending them”, almost implores the soldier responsible for monitoring the entrance to the logistics platform which receives the donations.
In the center of Przemysl, arrivals and departures are incessant and the beds are never unoccupied for very long. “Here, there are about 1,500 places,” says Maryna. For a week that I have been here, the activity has never slowed down. The only thing that changes are the people.” According to the volunteer, the waves of refugees arriving today are made up of people who have no contact in Poland and very little means. “Unlike the first exiles who left to join family, those who are fleeing today have nothing and no one, they are completely lost,” notes the Franco-Polish woman. And this transit center is only one of eight open in border towns, the largest of which has a capacity of 6,000 places.