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“I gave up my life there” – Ukrainian refugees find refuge in Poland
STORY: Arriving at a youth center in southern Poland. Refugees from Ukraine found refuge here on Sunday, about two kilometers from the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, where a Holocaust memorial now commemorates the atrocities of the past. They come from Nikopol in southern Ukraine. Tamila, 39, who was away for days with her mother and three children, also comes from there. Her husband stayed at home to defend his homeland, she says. “On the morning of February 24, we were told that Kyiv had been bombed. We were at home. It was terrible, including for the children. The school was closed because of the pandemic, so they were at home.” “I think that in the future there will be peace again. But right now, I don’t know what to do, where to go and what will happen next.” 27-year-old Pavel also fled. “People are dying, it’s the most horrible thing of all. I hope it will end soon. Because I left my home… I don’t know if my house will still be standing or if it will be bombed. I don’t know. Me I don’t know where to live. I left my life there.” Millions of Ukrainians are like Pavel and Tamila. The United Nations put the number of people fleeing the Russian attacks at 2.8 million, most of whom initially found refuge in Poland.
Tamila and Pavel are two of 50 Ukrainians living in a youth center in southern Poland. They fear for their loved ones, their home and their future.