Displaced by war, tens of thousands of Ukrainians take shelter in Poland

The influx of civilians fleeing Ukraine has turned a warehouse in a small Polish village into a massive shelter -- and the number of refugees is going up by the minute.

The United Nations says 360,000 people have now been displaced by this conflict. Most are now in Poland, with others heading to Hungary, as well as Moldova and Romania.

Inside these makeshift shelters, families sleep on folding cots, their few bags leaning against them, unsure what the coming days entail.

Olga grabbed her cat and a bag and left Ukraine soon as she could when Russia invaded.

“I still can’t believe what’s happened,” she told CTV News.

Refugees are given medical care if they need it, and food: fresh fruit, canned food, baby food.

One woman told CTV News that although this had been building up for weeks, they never thought it would actually happen and by last Wednesday or Thursday, their lives had flipped upside down.

In Poland, people are rushing to the border to help in any way they can.

At the border and in the warehouse where many Ukrainians are sheltering, Polish civilians walk around holding signs to indicate how many people they are capable of sheltering in their own home.

They came with empty cars, trying to take as many people with them as they can. To aid refugees, many Polish families are offering free accommodation. One man told CTV News that he drove 500 kilometres to try and help those displaced by the Russian invasion.

He lived in Ukraine before he moved to Poland in 2019, he explained, vowing that he would not be leaving the border with an empty car.

Some signs list numbers that the Polish family can take, while other signs are more specific: Oleksandr, a Polish resident, held a sign indicating space for any mother and her children.

Women and children make up the bulk of those crossing into Poland as men of military age have been banned from leaving Ukraine during this attack.

Zoya walked 15 kilometres to the Polish border with her daughter and granddaughter. Sitting in the warehouse, her granddaughter plays with a fluffy pink stuffed animal. At five years old, she’s oblivious to what is going on.

“I’m shocked this could happen again,” Zoya said.

Poland is already home to nearly two million Ukrainians. Today, the government said the refugees coming here will be given the care they require.

Although Poland has become a shelter for tens of thousands of Ukrainians, that welcoming attitude hasn’t always been extended. Poland is building a wall on its border with Belarus to keep out largely Middle Eastern migrants that have sought to enter Poland in recent months.

Not everyone has had an easy time getting into the country in recent days as well. There have been reports of Africans who were living or studying in the Ukraine and now are fleeing Russia’s attack being denied entry into Poland or experiencing huge delays in entry while Ukrainians are let through. Several videos online appear to show groups of Africans being pushed back from trains or border crossings.

With files from the Associated Press and CTVNews.ca's Alexandra Mae Jones