These were the heartbreaking scenes at a small Polish train station tonight as Ukrainian refugees fled the horrors of Vladimir Putinattempt to delete your country from the map.
The small train station in Przemyśl is more accustomed to passengers taking a short walk over the border with Ukraine in normal times.
But now it is overwhelmed daily by thousands seeking a future away from the horrors of war.
Built in the late 19th century during the Austrian occupation of this part of Polandit is vain with refugees from morning to night.
A man waiting for his girlfriend from Ukraine, holding her hand and looking at her through the border fence at Przemyśl train station
It is estimated that more than 660,000 have already left Ukraine, with most heading west across the Polish border to escape the bloodshed.
Ukrainian evacuees Dmytro Stadnyk, 36, reunited with his wife Natalia, 27, and his son Egor, 5, at Przemysl Glowny Railway Station, who had just arrived from Ukraine.
The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday REFUGEE FOR UKRAINE
Readers of Mail Newspaper have always shown great generosity during a crisis.
Invoking this human spirit, we are now calling for fundraising for refugees from Ukraine.
Because surely no one can help but be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families – mostly women, children, the weak and the elderly – fleeing Russia’s invading armed forces.
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.
All donations to Mail Ukraine Appeal will be distributed to charitable and humanitarian organizations providing such basic services.
In the name of mercy and compassion, we call on all our readers to give quickly and generously.
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The mass movement has become what the United Nations calls the worst refugee crisis since the atrocities of World War II.
Queues are writhing from the station as desperate refugees hope to get one of the meager tickets out of here.
Those who have a place gather blankets in the icy temperatures and receive food from local charities. They are the women and children of Ukraine. All men between the ages of 18 and 60 must stay and defend the country.
Lilia Kobilinska, 30, arrived here from Kyiv early yesterday with just a bag of belongings and her favorite dog, Sheva.
If Ukraine’s future is uncertain, so is the new life that awaits it. She said: “I hope to get to Germany, but I still don’t know where. I’m worried I might struggle with language.
A moment later, she boarded one of the crowded local trains heading for Krakow.
Most refugees want to stay in Poland, having relatives there. There is little talk of traveling to Britain. Instead, they hope that one day they will be able to return home. Ukrainian children, lucky enough not to fully understand what was happening, played innocently as the train pulled away from the platform.
There is barely room for a four-hour train ride to Poland’s second-largest city, home to one of Ukraine’s largest communities.
Victoria Luchka, a 29-year-old mother of one, is rocking her five-month-old daughter, Kvitoslava, as she climbs up, hoping to eventually reach the Austrian capital, Vienna.
She praised Britain for helping the Ukrainian army over the past seven years.
She said: “The United Kingdom has provided us with a lot of military equipment and we are really grateful for that.” Her husband Mykola, along with her father and brother, remained in Ukraine. Dmytro Stadnyk, 36, left Ukraine two years ago to work in Przemyśl as a fitness instructor.
His eyes tingle as he embraces his 29-year-old wife Natalia and his five-year-old son as they arrive from their hometown of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine.
He told the Daily Mail: “I am afraid for my country, but I am relieved that my family is now safe here in Poland.” Ukrainian refugees are subject to passport control as volunteers help distribute food, toys and clothes to those in need.
Ukrainian refugees on the train to Krakow at Przemysl Glowny train station
A child fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine is visibly upset while standing in front of a tent in a temporary camp in Przemyśl, Poland
The couples, who were separated by violence last week, are embracing for the first time since the war broke out.
Vaclav Boyarski, a 52-year-old teacher and scout master, is helping to coordinate volunteers to help the influx of people arriving in the border town.
He said: “This is our army against Vladimir Putin.”
Mr Boryarski also helped send a military kit to Ukrainian troops with the help of a Polish businessman.
He is trying to raise money to send them boots and bulletproof vests. He told the Mail: “They don’t need food. They need bulletproof vests.