Ukrainian refugee crisis

More than 1.5 million people have been pushed across Ukraine’s borders in search of refuge in what the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi has called the fastest growing crisis in Europe since World War II.

Many have come on foot with little more than the clothes on their back and a small bag. Anna’s a teacher from Kyiv.

Anna Golovko: "I'm, I'm from Kyiv, Ukraine and we are going to Krakow, Poland. It takes three days to take this place."

They are met in neighbouring countries by volunteers who organise food, clothing and onward transport to help them reach relatives or friends and a place of safety. People have driven from all over Europe to offer transport or even accommodation to the refugees.

With martial law declared in Ukraine, making it mandatory for men between the ages of 18 and 60 to remain and defend their country, the majority of those crossing the border are women and children or the elderly. But there are also still foreign students, workers and Roma seeking to escape from the conflict.

Thousands more are displaced within Ukraine or trapped in cities reduced to rubble by Russian bombardment. The UN warns that upwards of four million people could be forced to flee Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Russia’s said it will open humanitarian corridors to allow people out of the danger zones. But so far, that’s not happened or the routes offered only lead towards the Russian border.

However, as many leave Ukraine, doctors and paramedics are heading in the opposite direction to try and help those remaining.

Mike Hughes: "I’m going purely as a humanitarian to obviously assisting the wounded and hopefully, kind of, prevent some of the loss of life that's currently happening out there. I'm also going to go out there and try and train some of the civilians and some of the military in medical treatments and techniques that we use in the British services." Weniger anzeigen