Over 100,000 have fled to Poland from Ukraine since Russian invasion

More than 100,000 people have crossed from Ukraine into Poland since Russia began its invasion on Thursday. “All refugees from Ukraine who need help will find it in Poland,” says the head of the Polish border guard.

In other developments today:

• Poland’s state railway operator will allow Ukrainians to travel for free
• Vehicle crossing points into Poland from Ukraine will be opened to foot traffic to ease migration flows
• A medical train prepared by the Polish government to transport wounded Ukrainians for treatment in Poland has arrived near the border
• One of Poland’s largest supermarket chains is paying a bonus to all its Ukrainian staff
• Hundreds of tonnes of aid for Ukraine have been donated by the Polish public

On Thursday, the Polish border guard recorded 29,000 entries from Ukraine, a much higher figure than usual. A further 47,500 then arrived on Friday and, late this morning, the interior ministry announced that the total figure since Thursday has now passed 100,000.

Poland has for weeks been preparing for the potential influx of refugees from Ukraine. On Thursday, after Russia’s invasion, it opened reception points on the border to provide information and support for those arriving.

To further facilitate the entry of people from Ukraine, the head of the border guard, Tomasz Praga, announced today that border crossings previously for use only by vehicles will now be open to people on foot as well.

Meanwhile, Poland’s state railway operator, PKP, has announced that citizens of Ukraine can travel for free over the next four weeks.

The idea was proposed by the government and will now be implemented by PKP, said infrastructure minister Andrzej Adamczyk today. He urged other public transport operators in Poland to do the same.

The prime minister’s chief of staff, Michał Dworczyk, also revealed today that a special programme for transporting wounded people from Ukraine for treatment in Poland has moved forward.

A special medical train announced by the health minister on Thursday is now in Przemyśl, a town near the border, where it has brought humanitarian aid for the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine. If required, it will then transport back the wounded for treatment at the National Hospital in Warsaw.

“We will do everything to make life easier for those Ukrainians who heroically defend their homeland and also for those who have to flee from hostilities,” said Dworczyk, quoted by TVN.

Dworczyk also announced that a hub for humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine will be established near the eastern Polish city of Lublin and overseen by the government’s strategic reserves agency (RARS). It will coordinate aid from international organisations and other entities.

A number of donation campaigns have already been launched in Poland. In the city of Kraków alone, over 60 tonnes of aid were left at a drop-off point yesterday, with local authorities expecting even more to be given today. Similar collections have been organised around the country.

Meanwhile, one of Poland’s largest supermarket chains, Biedronka, has announced that all of its Ukrainian employees will receive a payment of 1,000 zloty (€216). “This is a gesture of solidary [that is] especially important for those whose families remain in Ukraine,” said the firm.

Biedronka employs around 1,800 Ukrainians, who constitute more than 2% of its staff, reports Business Insider Polska. The firm’s human resources director, Jarosław Sobczyk, says that it is working on a simplified procedure to hire family members of existing employees.

Main image credit: Patryk Ogorzalek / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.