War in Ukraine: kilometric rows formed at the border by Ukrainians fleeing

Thousands of Ukrainians have headed to the borders with their neighboring countries to escape the Russian attack.

On the fourth day of the invasion, almost 120,000 people have crossed into Poland, making a journey of more than two days, at other border points they make long lines of up to 15 kilometers.

For the most part, those who escape the invasion are women and children, since by presidential mandate , men between 18 and 60 years old have been ordered to stay in the country to fight.

Major media outlets have interviewed several people at the borders who are still waiting to leave the country.

From the perspective of the Moldovan border , it seems that Ukraine is only a country of women, since only grandmothers and mothers are seen dragging their luggage.

After more than a day waiting on the Ukrainian side, Ana arrived in Palanka. In her little yellow vehicle, she had plenty of groceries and her 6-year-old granddaughter.

Testimonials from Ukrainians

Ana and her stepdaughter drove from Odessa, approximately 50 kilometers, that city was a key point in the invasion of Russia.

Ana, like many displaced people, had to leave her life in the Ukraine behind, in addition to her husband who had to enlist to fight in the war. The woman said that she hopes that the West will do what is necessary to get out of the crisis, since she considers that Ukraine faces Russia alone.

In the area, where there were thousands of Ukrainians, there were also volunteers from nearby Moldovan cities, who offered means of transport to the Ukrainians who arrived on foot.

The train from kyiv, which left late at night for Leolopolis, transports the new refugees from the European region.

Kateryna Leontieva, who traveled from Kharkov with her daughter, said it took them 52 hours to reach the border. They only carried a backpack each and their passports.

The refugee, through tears, considered that she was in shock and when she arrived at the border she began to realize it. "I hope it will be a short trip and that I can return to my country soon."

UN figures

The bloody war on Ukrainian territory is what has caused the mass exodus of people. The United Nations Organization (UN) stated that in the first instance, they estimated that between 1 and 5 million Ukrainians would leave the country for neighboring countries.

According to figures issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Sunday, the number of displaced Ukrainians amounted to 368,000 people.

In the first two days after the declaration of war, 70,000 people had fled, most of them bound for Poland.

The exodus in numbers

Around 150,000 people have crossed the border into Poland since the beginning of the Russian attack, according to the Polish Interior Ministry.

The Deputy Minister of the Interior assured that the entry into Polish territory occurred throughout the border territory with Ukraine and pointed out that the majority were women and children, as well as men who were not old enough to go to war.

In Moldova, more than 20,000 citizens have entered seeking refuge, according to Natalia Gavrilita, the country's prime minister, of whom 386 Ukrainians have applied to the government for asylum.

The Moldovan authorities have declared a state of emergency, however, they have kept the borders open to receive the Ukrainians who arrive fleeing the invasion.

In Romania, which has sent hundreds of vehicles with humanitarian aid, 43,000 displaced people have entered.

According to local media, the vehicles carrying humanitarian aid have caused a huge traffic jam, for which the refugees must walk several kilometers to reach the border.

More than 70,000 people from Ukraine have crossed into Hungary on foot, dragging their luggage to the border crossing attended by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, where he declared that the exodus will increase if the war continues.

The vast majority of people who enter Hungary from Beregsurany do so on foot, with what they can carry, since entering by car can take days of waiting.

The Slovakian authorities declared a state of emergency on Saturday due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees. This measure is aimed at creating suitable conditions to facilitate the stay of Ukrainians in the country.

Currently, the Slovak country is going through an unusual situation, since it is under two states of emergency decreed in force by the one decreed in November as a result of the pandemic and the rebound in cases in the country.

In Slovakia, the number of Ukrainian refugees is lower than the rest of the bordering countries, although they have not issued official figures, the media assure that there are hundreds of Ukrainian civilians who have entered the country fleeing the war.