There is a general mobilization in Ukraine, ie men are not allowed to leave the country. At the border, it seems that Ukraine does not want women and children to leave either.
Sergei presses his forehead to a year and a half Alexei against the forehead. This is a moment that is tearing apart Ukrainian families.
Alexei leaves his mother Oljan and his sister Evelinan with to try to cross the border into Poland. Olja’s father, the children’s grandfather Sergei, is not allowed to leave Ukraine.
Sergei is under the age of 60 and has a general presence in Ukraine. All men between the ages of 18 and 60 must remain to defend the country from Russian invasion.
Tears well up in Sergei’s eyes. Then Oljan. This may be the last time they meet.
– Everything turns for the better, Sergei comforts his daughter.
Alexei’s boy looks tired in his overalls. The family has been walking for hours at night towards the border crossing on the Ukrainian-Polish border.
– The car queue is so long that you could walk faster, Olja says.
He and his children join a queue that is constantly growing. You can also cross the border on foot from the Shehyn crossing point.
On the move with her child Tanja says he walked through the night for five hours to the border. He has a carry-on roller bag with him.
Six years old Segment has fallen asleep on the bag at sunrise.
They have settled in a queue at a border crossing point that is becoming more and more chaotic hour by hour. There is no clear beginning or end.
And worst of all for the waiters: the queue doesn’t move.
Poland and peace are a few hundred meters away, but Ukraine’s own checkpoint is a bottleneck. Access across the Ukrainian border has clearly slowed since the start of the war.
The greatest chaos is at the gate from which the border can be crossed on foot. The car line pulls better. But many women and children have to walk over.
Family cars in Ukraine are often in the name of a man or women do not have a driver’s license. Therefore, women and children cannot drive to safety.
There is no clear reason for the slowdown. A person is allowed to enter from a gate surrounded by a net fence from time to time. At the same time, there are hundreds more joining the queue.
It is not that border guards are trying to prevent men from escaping abroad. Ukrainian men do not even try to get in through the gate. Women and children are stuck in the cold winter weather.
As the day progresses, the situation at the border becomes more desperate. Waiters start stopping cars passing by and ask to get in the car queue and thus over to Poland.
Mothers and fathers show the stunned children in their arms and ask for a place.
But the cars are already full of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
At the same time, at the border station, a much calmer but steady flow of people is going in the opposite direction. On the Polish side, Ukrainians living abroad come to Ukraine.
Living in the Czech Republic Roman decided to return to his homeland as soon as Russia launched an offensive war. He has a backpack with him.
– I’m Ukrainian. And the home needs to be defended.
The Roman leaves the border towards the east, towards the front. Men who have previously left their families at the border walk in the same direction.
Among them is Sergei.
On the Polish side of the border Irina and Alexander are waiting for their relatives to safety for the third day. They are on the other side of the border station in Ukraine.
Irina begins to despair. In his view, it is quite clear that Ukraine is preventing people from leaving.
– These are not men fleeing the war, but women and children, he points out.
Refugees spend the second or third day at the border station without sleep, food or toilets.
What do you think is the reason why Ukraine will not let people through?
– Everything is politics right now.
You can discuss the topic until Sunday 27.2. until 11 p.m.