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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UKRAINE POLAND REFUGEE WELCOME
HEADLINE: Poland Embraces Fleeing Ukrainians, As Europe Faces Biggest Refugee Crisis Since 1945
TEASER: Russian invasion drives fastest growing refugee exodus since 1945
PUBLISHED AT: Monday, 03/07/2022 at
BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell
DATELINE: PRZEMYSL, POLAND
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MPage, Mia Bush SR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB X TV X RADIO __
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: VPKGN
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[More than one-and-a-half million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion, making it Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two. Henry Ridgwell reports from the town of Przemysl (SHEH-MUH-SHL) on the Polish-Ukraine border.]]
((VIDEO: VOA FOOTAGE OF PIANIST AT POLISH-UKRAINE BORDER))
((NARRATION))
A surreal soundtrack greets the sea of humanity fleeing Ukraine -- a pianist with a message of peace -- a momentary distraction from the misery unleashed by Russia’s invasion.
More than 1 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland since the invasion – by far the highest number of any country. And they have been largely embraced by their European neighbors.
((VIDEO: VOA FOOTAGE OF BUSES AT RECEPTION CENTER))
Most new arrivals are bused to reception centers away from the frontier. Some have family or friends in Poland where they can stay.
((VIDEO: VOA FOOTAGE OF REFUGEES IN SHELTER))
But many have nowhere to go. They are given beds in shelters like this one – a school in the nearby town of Przemsyl, now entirely given over to refugees.
((VIDEO: REPORTER STAND-UP / VOA FOOTAGE OF REFUGEES IN SHELTER))
((Henry Ridgwell, VOA News)
“It is remarkable how efficiently Poland has managed to absorb the huge number of refugees arriving over its borders so far. The question is, how long that can continue as tens of thousands of refugees continue to arrive every day.”
((NARRATION))
Yevgenia has just arrived here with three of her four children.
((Yevgenia, Ukrainian Refugee (in Russian)))
“My husband is in Ukraine, they didn't let him leave. And also, my older son -- he's 18, he also had to sign up (to the army). So, we're separated. Volunteers come to us and offer us opportunities, where we can go, where there is work. We want to work so we're not dependent on someone else, so we can be useful for something.”
((NARRATION))
The school’s head teacher, Malgorzata Ziober, oversees the shelter -- and now has hundreds of refugees under her care.
((Małgorzata Ziober, Head Teacher (in Polish)))
“The worst moments are when, for example, a minibus arrives at night and we take in babies that are 4 or 5 months old. It's really very emotional and I think not everyone is suited to cope with that. We can do it, because we are strong. We don't know for how long. As long as we have the strength, we will help.”
((NARRATION))
Next door, a cultural center has been transformed into a temporary shelter. They have been overwhelmed with donations from local residents and businesses.
((Janusz Zapotocki, Local Politician (in Polish)))
“At first, they (refugees) are shocked, they want to shout, they want to talk out loud what they experienced, what they went through, what their escape was like. And then slowly they calm down and get used to the new reality -- that they have to go on living.”
((VIDEO: VOA FOOTAGE OF CHURCH SERVICE))
((NARRATION))
The historical bonds run deep across this border. At the cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Przemysl, a prayer service was held Sunday morning for the people of Ukraine. The service was broadcast live across Poland.
((VIDEO: VOA FOOTAGE OF REFUGEES IN SHELTER))
Many Ukrainian refugees say they hope to return home within weeks – that this dizzying upheaval will soon be over. But as they see the images of death and destruction in the land they left behind – that hope is draining away.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, Przemysl, Poland.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)PRZEMYSL, POLAND
BylineHenry Ridgwell
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
