Warsaw – Warsaw, the city that has seen more than a tenth of all those fleeing the war in Ukraine, is becoming overwhelmed by the influx of people arriving the city on a daily basis. The mayor of the capital city is appealing for international help to deal with the refugee situation.

While some of the refugees arriving in Warsaw is seeking to wait out the war or settle in the city, others merely use Warsaw as a transit point to head further west. The situation has turned its train stations into crowded hubs with people camping out on floors.

“We are dealing with the greatest migration crisis in the history of Europe since World War II. ... The situation is getting more and more difficult every day,” Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said, adding that “the greatest challenge is still ahead of us.”

Warsaw has extended a warm welcome to the Ukrainians as the neighboring nation struggles to resist Russia’s invasion is wholehearted. But the challenge is enormous.

Much of the burden is being carried by volunteers taking time off work. Housing is also a growing problem. When the war began, 95% of Ukrainians arriving in Warsaw were people who already had friends or family here and were taken in by them. Today the number of people with acquaintances has dropped to 70%, which means that 30% of them “need a roof over their heads” and other support, the mayor said on Friday.

Late Thursday 15 disabled Ukrainian children arrived at the Medyka border crossing in Poland. The children were placed on a special makeshift medical train taking them to various hospitals in the country.

“This is a completely different kind of refugee. They are afraid of everything. They sit in their jackets. Children are scared, they don’t want to play, their mothers have such empty eyes.” said Dorota Zawadzka, a child psychologist volunteering at a center for refugees set up in the Torwar sports center.

Authorities in Berlin, the German capital has also witnessed an influx, with 10,000 people arriving per day. Officials are trying to spread new arrivals around the country, noting that they have better chances of getting somewhere to live and quick access to medical care elsewhere in Germany.

The war has already forced 2.5 million people to flee, according to the International Organization for Migration on Friday, and more than half of them go to Poland. As of Friday, more than 1.5 million refugees have entered Poland, according to the country’s Border Guard agency.
-AP