The invisible line that separates war and peace

Author: Saba Gorgodze

05.04.22
Topic: Conflict

The flow of refugees has not stopped for weeks on the Polish-Ukrainian border, the invisible line that separates peace and war. More than four million Ukrainians have become refugees since the war started, and over half of them took refuge in Poland. Women, children, and the elderly stand in seemingly endless lines for hours to cross into peaceful Poland. Ukrainian men escort their family to the border and then turn around,  returning to the war to secure peace at home.

Saba Gorgodze documented the forced journey of Ukrainians seeking refugee from the city Lviv to Poland.

 

Metro station in Lviv, Ukraine.

Most Ukrainians travel to the city of Lviv before crossing into Poland. They have to stand in line for hours to get a seat on a bus heading out of the country.

Dimitri, 26, is a programmer. He has sheltered about 60 people at his home in Lviv since the war started on February 24. He converted the basement and sauna into an air-raid shelter.
Donated clothes for the displaced. Anyone in the shelter can take what they need.
Lesya Kurbasa Theater, Lviv

Some people displaced by the war prefer to stay in shelters in Lviv instead of going to Poland. The Lesya Kurbasa Theater has a shelter where people can spend the night.

Lviv, Ukraine

A bomb shelter in a park in Lviv, where people seek safety during air raids.  Locals built protective barriers around institutions and government buildings in the city.

Lviv, Ukraine

After Russian soldiers started bombing cities in the country indiscriminately, Lviv City Hall wrapped cultural heritage sites to protect them.

Lviv, Ukraine

Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. Every day locals pay tribute to the soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Lviv, Ukraine

VOLUNTEERS in POLAND

A few meters across the Polish border, volunteers and aid workers greet Ukrainian refugees. They receive food and basic supplies as well as information on where they can spend the night in Poland or how to  travel to other EU countries.

Medyka, Poland

This is a collection point for donated clothing, which  will be sent to refugee shelters across the country.

Medyka, Poland

Children were forced to flee without most of their belongings, including clothing. Donated stuffed animals, toys and winter clothing await them in Poland.

Ukrainian children wait for a bus to take them to a shelter in a different city. They traveled 24 hours to get here.

A Ukrainian mother and her child have been waiting for the train that runs from Przemyśl to Krakow-Warsaw for more than an hour. From there, they can travel to a shelter or to any other city in Europe.

A man waits for a bus with his grandchild. They were on the road for 18 hours.

Volunteers give the children hamburgers before the bus leaves.

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