People offer transport for Ukrainian migrants in Przemysl, south-eastern Poland. EPA
People offer transport for Ukrainian migrants in Przemysl, south-eastern Poland. EPA
People offer transport for Ukrainian migrants in Przemysl, south-eastern Poland. EPA
People offer transport for Ukrainian migrants in Przemysl, south-eastern Poland. EPA

Poland opens its car doors to Ukraine as volunteers pour in to support fleeing refugees


Jamie Prentis
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

“Warsaw, Warsaw,” shouted the yellow-jacketed man to the crowd outside the train station in Przemysl, a town 10 kilometres from the Ukrainian border in south-eastern Poland.

“Do you have two spaces?” he asked someone who had raised their hand, one of many who arrived in Przemysl on Sunday to offer a lift those escaping to Poland, after Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.

The army of volunteers has rapidly gathered to support those fleeing the conflict next door. Most are Poles or Ukrainians living in Poland, but some have come from the Czech Republic, Germany and elsewhere.

Informal reception centres have quickly sprung up across the Polish border, where people are given medical aid and help to process asylum papers.

Many of the 150,000 people who have fled Ukraine for Poland arrive in Przemysl and, after getting through customs, they are greeted by volunteers and piles of food, water, toiletries and other essentials that have been pooled together.

German railway operator Deutsche Bahn said on Sunday that it would offer, free of charge, trips from Poland to Germany for refugees from Ukraine.

While many who have fled Ukraine are met by family and friends for tearful reunions in Poland, others can count on free journeys to other cities from private citizens.

Food, water and other essentials are available for those who arrive. Jamie Prentis / The National
Food, water and other essentials are available for those who arrive. Jamie Prentis / The National

Drivers hold signs or placards declaring where they are going and how many spaces they have.

One of those is Pawel Slawski, 43, from Warsaw, who is offering seats in his car for the 400km drive back to his home city.

“It’s very far from Warsaw but it’s the weekend," Mr Slawski said. "We changed some plans in our family. My family said, ‘OK, yes, this is very important. Go to the border'."

Pawel Slawski from Warsaw was searching for opportunities to help the Ukrainian people. Jamie Prentis / The National
Pawel Slawski from Warsaw was searching for opportunities to help the Ukrainian people. Jamie Prentis / The National

The father of two was trying to find opportunities to help the Ukrainian people, but was unsure of how best to do it until he heard about the number of people seeking refuge in Poland.

“Now this is not just a Ukrainian problem. This is our conflict, we must help,” Mr Slawski said.

“We know many Ukrainians in Warsaw. We know these people from our normal lives — the shops, working with us."

The UN’s refugee agency said on Sunday that about 368,000 people had fled Ukraine because of the conflict.

Days-long waits to cross borders have been reported, and its expected to be the start of an influx of people leaving Ukraine for its neighbours.

Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60 have been stopped from leaving Ukraine, amid a conscription drive to defend against Russia. For now, almost all of those arriving are women and children.

In Przemysl, they arrive in packed trains and queue along the platform to go through customs, with little more than the backpacks on their shoulders.

Arrivals from Ukraine line the platform before customs control. Jamie Prentis / The National
Arrivals from Ukraine line the platform before customs control. Jamie Prentis / The National

Oksana Potelchak, a translator from Kiev and mother of two, said that aboard the train, upon seeing all that had been done in Poland to support those arriving, “we cried".

“It’s unbelievable, it’s great. I made videos, I posted on Facebook so that Ukrainians see. I didn’t expect it,” she said.

Krzysztof Koeppel, from Silesia in southern Poland, was asked by a friend to help move supplies to the border.

“We have three places in our cars. We can bring them to whatever place they want,” he said.

Mr Koeppel said milk, napkins, batteries, coats, towels and blankets were some of the things that were taken to the border.

“My family suffered a lot during the Second World War," he said.

The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland in 1939 and brutally repressed the population.

The UN has warned that as many as four million people could become refugees if the situation deteriorated further in Ukraine.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had received pleas of help in the country amid shortages of basics.

Many of those arriving in Poland are from western Ukraine, which has been hit by comparatively less fighting, or left home after Russian President Vladimir Putin officially ordered the military operation.

But as the conflict continues in Ukraine, and long queues form as people flee the country, this is just the start.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO:

Sabri Razouk, 74

Athlete and fitness trainer 

Married, father of six

Favourite exercise: Bench press

Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn

Power drink: A glass of yoghurt

Role model: Any good man

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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%0D%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EAlexandra%20Eala%20(Philippines)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
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While you're here
Company%20Profile
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

RESULTS

2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
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Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi

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Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham

4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
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History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

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MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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Updated: February 28, 2022, 3:24 AM`