A long alley barely a few meters wide, framed by colorful stalls manned by smiling individuals in fluorescent yellow vests, where one can find basic necessities, old suitcases, juices, smiles or pet food. This is what the Ukrainian refugees discover in Medyka, crossing the Polish border, once their passport is stamped. Since the start of the Russian invasion, this cobbled path has become the main gateway to Europe for those fleeing the war.
In a hurry to move towards their destination, not sure that they see the special atmosphere that reigns here, generous and crazy. The first stand where they can receive food is held that afternoon by Michael. This 64-year-old American from Washington took a week off to participate, at his own expense, in the distribution of meals with the NGO World Central Kitchen. “I didn’t want to sit idly by or just give money, he explains. I’m leaving on Thursday because I have to resume my job as a manager in finance.”
Sikhs, Canadians, Israelis, Spaniards… Many, like him, have felt the need to come and lend a hand to the Ukrainians as volunteers. A few meters further, James Clayton is serving coffee at the stand of a Scottish foundation, Siobhan’s Trust. “I was doing tourism in Bosnia when Russia invaded Ukraine, I’ve been here for two weeks, says this Australian ranger. I sleep in a caravan near the camp and I will leave after a month.”
The French are not left out. A collective was formed on the job, thanks to the determination of a 49-year-old entrepreneur from Bordeaux. Lilian Boulard left on a whim, at the outbreak of war, the car full of baby products – powdered milk, nappies, etc. The donations allowed him to grow his stand over the weeks. “At the bottom of the tent we have installed cots and cots for Ukrainian families who urgently need to rest,” he proudly shows.
An association wants to “destroy the Chinese Communist Party”
There are also tents funded by a Sikh organization, or Rescuers Without Borders facilities, where refugees can receive treatment, rest and eat. Some of them are surprising, such as those set up by an American association presenting itself as the “New Federal State of China” and which sets itself the objective of “destroying the Chinese Communist Party”. Arrived last in Medyka, they are relegated to the outskirts.
NGOs and volunteers provide food and goods to Ukrainian refugees crossing the Polish border at Medyka.
The Express
In this makeshift camp, those leaving Ukraine and those returning there meet, like this woman with her baby in a pram, accompanied by her own mother. “We live in the west of the country, where there is no war,” they explain, as the Russian army has withdrawn from the kyiv region and is concentrating its forces towards Donbass. Like them, around 500,000 people have already made their way home. But if this flow is increasing, it is less important than that of arrivals, assure the volunteers.
In the other direction, precisely, Anastasia holds her infant in a blanket. “His name is Matviey, he was born on the second day of the war. We have just arrived from Kharkiv by train and we are going to Warsaw, where family settled in Lithuania will pick us up”, details the grandmother, before getting the three generations on a bus to Przemysl, about ten kilometers inland, where the real “hub” of the refugees is located.
This reception center was set up in a former supermarket, where you can find hot meals and camp beds to rest for a few hours or an entire night. On different stands convoys are organized to reach Polish cities and most European countries. The place is supervised by the city, it is specified at the town hall: “We ensure that the convoys which form are well registered and safe for the refugees.” A mission carried out, here again, by volunteers from Poland and elsewhere.
Clément Daniez (in Przemysl and Medyka)