MEDYKA, Poland – More than 2.5 million Ukrainians have now found refuge in Poland, and the number just keeps rising. Even on a rainy day, the border crossing is crowded with war-weary refugees searching for some relief.
The faces are many, the stories heart-breaking. But Ukrainians from all walks of life keep pouring over the border, hoping to find a peaceful place to wait out the war that’s ravaging their country.
Here in Medyka at the Polish border, it was a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon as many refugees, some of them soaked to the bone, stopped at the Operation Blessing tent to warm up and have something hot to drink. Here, they also received blankets, raincoats, and a place to rest from their journey.
Oksana, her 13-year-old son, and her disabled father arrived at the border in the pouring rain after fleeing Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine that’s now considered a main target of Russia’s military. Her 21-year-old son and husband stayed in Ukraine to defend their country.
“It’s really hard and I’m afraid for them, and I’m really really worried about them,” she said.
***PLEASE Give to OPERATION BLESSING Relief Efforts in Poland and Ukraine***
Denys, a 40-year-old single dad fled Kharkiv, another area hard-hit area by Russian shelling, after living in his basement for a month. He’s been raising his son alone since his wife died a year and a half ago.
“It was too dangerous to go outside because there was like constant bombing,” Denys said. Of course, it was really hard, but somehow we felt protected.”
Although he arrived at the Operation Blessing tent cold, wet, and hungry, Denys left full and dry, thanks to a new coat and a brand new suitcase to put his belongings in. Nearby, a crying baby is now smiling and content after being rocked to sleep by an Operation Blessing volunteer.
After the sounds of war started giving her three young sons nightmares, Marina, also from eastern Ukraine, decided to flee as well, also leaving behind an older son and husband to defend the homeland. “The Russians were bombing, the war had started, it was bad, really horrible,” she said. “We don’t know where we’re staying, we’re relying on volunteers to help, but we don’t want to go back to Ukraine right now.”
Oksana, Denys, and Marina were also happy to receive prayer and thankful that someone like Operation Blessing was there in their time of need.
***PLEASE Give to OPERATION BLESSING Relief Efforts in Poland and Ukraine***
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