Over 1 million refugees from Ukraine fled to Poland, tens of thousands on foot

Medyka. Uchodźcy dostają się do Polski również pieszo. Tylko minionej doby zrobiło tak ponad 18 tysięcy osób

Źródło: TVN24

Over 30,000 refugees from Ukraine crossed the border with Poland in Medyka on Sunday (March 6) alone, of which some 18,000 did that on foot. Refugees receive warm food in special tents set up at the border crossing. Later they are transported mainly to Przemyśl, where they are either placed in a reception point, or travel to other places in Poland or abroad.

Already more than 1 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the border with Poland since Feb.24. According to Polish Border Guard, on Sunday (March 6) alone, more than 142,000 people entered Poland. This has been the highest number so far since the beginning of Russian invasion into Ukraine.

TVN24 reporter Paweł Łukasik was in Medyka on Monday and said that over 30,000 people had crossed the border there on Sunday alone.

Warm meal for refugees in special tents

"People can pass through in cars or on foot. Over 18,000 people crossed the border in the latter way on Sunday alone. If they have no one to come and pick them up, they are usually placed in a reception point at Przemyśl railway station," Paweł Łukasik said.

He showed the special tents prepared by private people and non-governmental organisations, at which the refugees can have a warm meal right after crossing the border in Medyka.

"My husband and parents have stayed in Ukraine. We were hiding with my children in a basement for 10 days. We have an aunt in Germany, but so far we don't even know in which direction we should be heading," a Ukrainian woman who has just fled to Poland told our reporter.

Only those picking up particular people can enter Medyka

Should people who want to help refugees go directly to Medyka to pick them up? TVN24 reporter who was in Przemyśl on Monday advised against such decision. He said that people who want to help this way, would not have been allowed to go through anyway.

"The police are patrolling the road. If someone is heading to Medyka but has no one particular to pick up, then they are returned to a parking at the humanitarian point in Przemyśl," the reporter explained.

He added that the refugees often go further into Poland, to Kraków or Warsaw, among other places. Some of them go to other countries and join their relatives there. "To Austria for example, or to Italy, as many Ukrainians live in Italy," Bartłomiej Ślak said.