Tears roll down his face and his voice breaks with emotion, this little boy describing the fear and grief suffered by hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children who are now separated from their families because of the Russian invasion.
Mark Goncharuk was interviewed on his way west from Kyiv after saying goodbye to his father, who decided to stay to protect the capital from Putin’s forces.
The little boy, believed to be less than eight years old, was rescued by a roadside about three days’ walk from the Polish border. Exhausted, he was interviewed by a Finnish journalist, whom he thanked “for saving us”.
Trying to wipe away his tears before he broke down, he said: “We left Dad in Kyiv and Dad will sell things and help our heroes, our army. He can even fight.
Others in the van leaving Ukraine are also seen crying as he tells the reporter: “We walked for many hours and you saved us. We thought we would have to walk for many days. You helped us “, you even managed to smile with a slight smile of those who raised him. It is unclear whether he is with other family members.
The heartbreaking video embodies the human tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, where more than 500,000 people fled Ukraine after Russia invaded last week, according to the UN refugee agency.
The latest and growing number includes 281,000 people entering Poland, more than 84,500 in Hungary, about 36,400 in Moldova, more than 32,500 in Romania and about 30,000 in Slovakia, said UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantu. There are queues of more than 25 miles for vehicles trying to leave Ukraine’s borders with the West.
In addition, there are almost no trains, which means that many thousands just walk.
The others were scattered in unidentified other countries, she said. Another train carrying hundreds of refugees from Ukraine arrived in the town of Przemysl in southeastern Poland early Monday.
Ukrainian boy Mark Goncharuk falls apart as he describes leaving his father in Kyiv to fight the Russians
But the brave little boy managed to smile at the journalists who rescued him on the side of the road as he walked away from the Ukrainian capital.
In winter coats, to protect them from almost sub-zero temperatures, with small suitcases, they lined up on the platform to the exit.
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As this number of misery increases in the coming days and months, these innocent victims of the tyrant will need accommodation, schools and medical care.
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Some waved at the cameras to show that they were relieved to be out of the war zone. They called a lot.
Victoria and Diana Petrova are the lucky ones who escaped the bloodshed and reached Poland – but it was a difficult journey to safety.
They spent the first night of Vladimir Putin’s bombing, sleeping roughly with their family in a parking lot in Kyiv.
But last night, teenagers and their 46-year-old mother, Elena, took refuge in one of nine centers set up by Polish authorities for Ukrainians fleeing bloodshed. The center is in Korchova, which is close to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
“It was not safe to sleep in the basement,” said the visibly exhausted 19-year-old Victoria. The only alternative was the subway, but there was no space.
The family, who are from Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine, spent two days in traffic jams trying to escape before crossing the border into Poland.
Ukrainian refugees crossing on foot were picked up by buses by border guards. Some were even transported by ordinary Poles who volunteered to help.
The family described how locals responded to a call to help their neighbors as they fled Russia’s military attack.
“Poles were waiting at the border with lots of food and warm clothes,” said Diana, 14, as she sat on a makeshift bed in a former refugee camp. Mrs. Petrova smiled with gratitude, telling about the kindness shown. The family told the Daily Mail that a stranger had offered them an elevator to Lubin, a six-hour drive near the German border.
“We are safe now,” Ms. Petrova said. “Maybe the situation in Ukraine will not last that long and we will be able to return in a week or two.”
The large aircraft hangar-like building, now called Kyiv Hall, has 600 makeshift camp beds. The operation is led by the Polish military, which takes over the logistics and distributes supplies to those in need.
Donations of food, clothing, medicine and even toys were distributed after massive efforts by locals in Poland.
In the camp, food is left in cardboard boxes and shopping carts for refugees to collect.
17-year-old Gaia Kosholko and her school friend Martina Farion, 18, spent yesterday handing out teddy bears to younger children.
Polish border guards carry child to Poland-Ukraine border post after Russia launches large-scale military operation against Ukraine in Medica, Poland
Ukrainian refugees arrive by train from Kyiv at Warszawa Wschodnia station in Warsaw, Poland
Ukrainian family eats on their camp beds in an emergency center set up for refugees from the Ukrainian war in a warehouse in Korchova
Isabella Novak, 31, told the Mail how she assembled a group of 30 volunteers to create a soup kitchen for refugees.
“We will be here as long as necessary,” she said.
Miss Novak works in a computer shop run by 38-year-old Adam Holboy, who decided to close his business to help Ukrainians.
Last night the Mail saw how the locals withstood the freezing temperatures to welcome the newcomers.
They gathered in front of Kyiv Hall when two buses, both full of people, stopped and offered free taxis to other parts of the country. Some had even come from afar to help.
Frank Cork, a 27-year-old wind turbine technician, said he drove from Prague overnight to be here to take the Ukrainians to safety.
“I felt it was better than just watching what was happening on TV,” Mr Cork said. “We Czechs were also under Soviet occupation, so I wanted to help.”
Polish volunteer drivers pass through the building, calling out their destination with the loudest voice. – Is there anyone in Berlin? A man shouted.
But last night, there were reports that African migrants in Ukraine were blocked from entering Poland. A man said he and his family had been removed from the border and said “no blacks”, The Independent reported.
Most of the newcomers spend only a few hours here before going to hotels, apartments or staying with relatives in other parts of Poland. The center has a high turnover, with people coming and going for almost an hour.
An NGO official who declined to be named said there had been an increase in weekends. “It’s really chaos here now,” he said. “We are trying to find beds for people or at least places to go.
“Most of those who cross the border seem to want to stay in Poland or go to Germany.”