We have known Galina for a few years, she used to come and work in Poland as a physiotherapist (the greatest one!). When Russia invaded Ukraine she took her daughter in law and two granddaughters (9 and 5 years old) and decided to go to Poland. Our friend gave her his apartment (his late father's) and we made it ready. My husband went from Warsaw to the border to collect them. They were very tired after queuing many hours on the Ukrainian side. Now they are safe, the children can play with other children, she can work, our government helps a lot socially. They have medical and social help.
Every Ukrainian refugee can work here, they are given documents to legally start working and children can go to school. Every month they receive the same social help for children as Polish citizens. Poland changed its population from 36 to 39 millions IN A MONTH! Some refugees came back lately to the Western Ukraine, some travelled to other countries, but vast majority stayed here. And there was not one camp for the refugees in Poland. 3,5 MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAME IN A MONTH. Everyone has a place to stay. Everyone I know has been organizing some help - the school where my children study organized buses going with help inside Ukraine and of course great help here. There are afternoons for Ukrainian children and mothers at school, they have meal, cake, they can play at the playground, meet other children, mothers can talk...
The bombs are destroyin civilians homes, hospitals (the russians have special orders to shoot the ambulances and hospitals and follow these orders eagerly). The women AND SMALL CHILDREN are raped, their hands tied behind their backs and killed. 7-years old boy's hair got completely white after he had to watch during 3 days the soldiers raping his mother until she died. There are phone calls intercepted by the army - the russian soldiers are calling their wives to tell them what nice tv they are going to bring home and then saying: Yeah, today the boys found some 15 years old girl, we raped her, there was some mess" And the wives laugh and say "Ok, have fun boys, but you, Sasha, protect yourself, you know, haha"... These are things that most people who don't know what Russia is like wouldn't believe. We do. We know this monster for hundreds of years. (If you are interested you can read for example about the massacre in Katyn in 1944 - they killed 22 000 Poles, officers, scientists, professors, engineers, just to destroy the body, elite of the country...), this is a neverending story... During last years people here who were warning about Russia were treated like nuts and "rusophobes"... It is very sad.
Check out these films and articles... There are hundreds of places like Bucha...
