![]() Then there are international groups like the World Central Kitchen, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF and Rescuers Without Borders. Tents line the boulevard - the large, Red Cross tent is the first many refugees see, followed immediately by Nelson’s station for mothers and babies. She watched as a volunteer pushed an elderly man, sobbing, in a wheelchair past her tent. “It’s a hard day,” said Nelson the morning following a deadly missile strike in Lviv, just 50 miles away. Children sometimes dance while paramedics hurriedly pass by.īags hang under the eyes of most volunteers. Once through the gate, refugees walk down what many volunteers now call “the boulevard.” It has the feeling of a busy, yet somber, open air market - there’s hot food, people shouting and music blaring. Some laugh, some yell back “Heróyam sláva!” or “glory to the heroes.” Others simply flash a weary grin, or keep their head down, as they nervously enter the foreign country that will likely be home for the foreseeable future. “Slava Ukraini,” (“glory to Ukraine,” in English) shouts the volunteer, wearing a bright pink bunny costume, greeting kids, women and old men alike as they officially enter Poland. The boulevardĪ peculiar sight awaits refugees as they drag their luggage down the long, cobblestone walkway towards the gate marking the Polish border - the Easter Bunny. It’s been cool to be a part of,” she said. Nelson has been there to watch it all grow. It’s the first taste, literally, of Poland for many refugees, who can get a hot cup of soup, pizza, chicken shawarma or sandwiches, and rest in a heated tent before embarking on their next journey. “Trafficking human beings does not sleep. It’s a hub for black market activity, and even human trafficking, with signs plastered around the gates warning refugees to not get into a car with strangers. ![]() It’s also attracted “volun-tourists” as some call them, social media influencers who view an afternoon serving food as a way to boost their Instagram clout. It’s a front base for groups launching aid missions into Ukraine, soldiers looking to fight in the Foreign Legion, and “war tourists,” adrenaline-seeking foreigners hoping to get close to the front line. It’s drawn volunteers from around the world - and Utah - many of whom keep pushing back their return flights as the fulfillment of humanitarian work and the tightknit community sucks them back in. Now, as Russia enters the third month of its invasion, which has driven over 2.8 million refugees into Poland, a colorful tent city has risen in Medyka. About three times each day, trains evacuating people from war-torn regions of eastern Ukraine cross through Medyka, the first stop just 10 miles west in the historic town of Przemsyl. Polish officials have consistently referred to Medyka as the busiest border crossing throughout the crisis, due largely in part to the railway that runs through the village. “She was there before the big boys got here,” says Hymie Dunn, of London, who teamed up with Nelson in the early days of the war. Her mission was simple - offer a safe space for women to nurse babies, change diapers and receive tampons, pads and other hygiene products. On March 2, long before global giants like the United Nations and the Red Cross set up their sprawling, heated tents, Nelson, a California native now based out of London, was sitting in a small hut pushed up against the pedestrian gate at the Ukrainian border. There’s diesel fumes from the mileslong line of trucks idling at the port of entry, smoke from wood-burning fires, hot food from an aid tent run by United Sikhs, a steady cloud from hundreds of cigarettes and a wafting stench from rows of port-a-potties.Įxcept for the ones near Christie Nelson’s tent, because she cleans those herself. This is the second of several dispatches from the border.Īn odd combination of smells hangs over the Ukraine-Poland border village of Medyka. Editor’s note: Deseret News journalist Kyle Dunphey and photojournalist Kristin Murphy traveled to the border of Ukraine in Poland and surrounding countries to view the impact of the refugee crisis.
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