'Our task: survival and victory': Historic Ukrainian city transformed into a transit point for refugees
LVIV, Ukraine – Before last week, Lviv was best known as one of Ukraine’s most historic cities – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the country’s oldest university, a burgeoning tech sector and a great cafe culture.
Five days in to Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine, Lviv has been transformed into one of the central points of transit for tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Russia's assault in the east.
“It is a very special time for me and our country,” said Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv, who took charge of organizing the city’s response to what could be the largest humanitarian crisis facing Europe in decades. He said they are ready.
“We have completely rebuilt our strategic capabilities. We prepared the city to live in an extreme time and support our military in different activities,” he said. “Our task: survival and victory.”
Sadovyi said the city began preparing for this “nightmarish” situation more than six months ago. The city restructured its water system to run without electricity; it bolstered its health system and bought medical supplies, beds and generators. It planned for various security scenarios.
Sadovyi would not say how many refugees have fled to or through Lviv, citing security concerns. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweeted Monday that more than 500,000 Ukrainians have fled for neighboring countries.
Where are refugees going?
Many Ukrainians head to Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, according to the United Nations.
"The governments and people of those countries are welcoming refugees. It is now urgent to share this responsibility in concrete ways," Grandi said Sunday.
Before Russia's invasion, British, Ukrainian and U.S. officials warned the military assault would spark a monumental humanitarian disaster. Some estimates project that 3 million to 5 million Ukrainians could try to flee their homes.
According to figures from Ukraine's Interior Ministry, about 1.5 million Ukrainians are internally displaced because of the 8-year-old Russia-backed conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region and Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
In the current crisis, many Ukrainians are trying to escape via neighboring Poland. Lviv is about 50 miles from the border, making it a magnet for refugees.
“We are prepared for 100,000 people, with beds, food, etc.,” Sadovyi said Friday. “And we have already been serving many, many people for two straight days.”
What war means for Ukrainians
The first days after the attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, brought an eerie emptiness to the normally bustling streets of Lviv, where many residents were unsure of what to do or where to go.
Seemingly overnight, Lviv's residents organized makeshift welcome centers for refugees, setting up small and large operations across the city. Volunteers gathered loads of donations – food, warm clothes, blankets and other supplies – to help their fellow Ukrainians, many of whom left their homes with little more than medication and documents. No one has been left outside.
The city sent hundreds, if not thousands, of its reservists to fight on the front lines in the east. Several small militias, known as Territorial Defense Units, have been formed – made up of men and women without formal military experience who have trained to defend themselves and their city from an attack as a last line of defense.
Although some military installations in the Lviv region have been bombarded, the city itself remains untouched. Sadovyi said his city will take in refugees and bolster its defenses for as long as it can.
Although he prepared his city for this crisis, Sadovyi said he’s still shocked that Russia’s invasion unfolded on this scale.
“I have had many experiences in my life, but Russian troops near Kyiv? It is crazy. Crazy,” he said. “Eight years ago, Russia occupied Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk – it was terrible. But Kyiv is our heart.”
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard and Deirdre Shesgreen
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