FAILING, I THINK THAT DECISION
FOR FAMILIES HERE IN THE WEST IS
GOING TO GET HARDER AND HARDER.
JONATHAN?
>> YOU'RE IN A REFUGEE CENTER
THERE IN POLAND, AND
ENCOUNTERING THE UKRAINIANS
FLEEING THE SITUATION AT HOME.
WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU ABOUT
WHAT THEY'RE LEAVING BEHIND?
>> YES, IF I CAN, I JUST WANT TO
LET YOU HEAR WHAT WE ARE
HEARING, LIVE IN REALTIME, WE
HAVE OUR TRANSLATOR YVONNE WITH
US, I WAS TALKING TO OKSANA, SHE
ARRIVED HERE NOT LONG AGO FROM
KHARKIV ONE OF THE HARDEST-HIT
AREAS IN EASTERN UKRAINE, YOU
WERE TELLING US THAT JUST A FEW
DAYS AGO, YOU WERE MAKING A
COSTUME FOR A SCHOOL PLAY.
ON MARCH 8th AND NOW YOU'RE
HERE.
>> YES, MY CHILDREN WERE GOING
TO KINDERGARTEN, THEY ARE SIX
AND TWO YEARS OLD, THEY WERE
GOING TO KINDERGARTEN, WE WERE
PREPARING FOR THE 8th OF MARCH,
AND NOW LOOK AT US NOW.
WE'VE BEEN NOT SLEEPING FOR TWO
DAYS.
WE'RE LIVING A TERRIBLE LIFE,
BECAUSE SOMEONE DECIDED THAT MY
CHILDREN SHOULD NOT HAVE A HOME
ANYMORE.
WE JUST PUT EVERYTHING WE HAD IN
OUR BAGS, AND THE REST OF THE
CLOTHES WERE LEFT IN UKRAINE,
OUR CITY IS DESTROYED, WE DON'T
HAVE IT ANYMORE.
IT IS ALL DESTROYED.
SOME RESIDENTIAL AREAS ARE STILL
STANDING BUT THERE ARE MANY OF
THEM, MY CHILDREN ARE SITTING
DOWN, ON THE GROUND, JUST LOOK
AT IT, WE CAME FROM ANOTHER
COUNTRY.
>> THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME HERE?
>> YES, IT'S MY FIRST TIME
PLACES?
>> NO, NO, WE, SOME STRANGERS
ARE HELPING US, SOME VOLUNTEERS
ARE HELPING US, WE ARE HOSTED BY
A STRANGER THAT DON'T KNOW US,
AND THEY DID HELP.
LOOK, EVERYBODY IS HELPING US.
THEY'RE GIVING US FOOD.
THEY'RE GIVING US TOWELS.
THEY'RE GIVING US, WE COULD
ACTUALLY SLEEP OUTSIDE
YESTERDAY, IT WAS A TOTAL
COINCIDENCE THAT WE WERE TAKEN
INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE.
AFTER WE CROSSED THE BORDER, WE
HAD CHANCES TO SLEEP OUTSIDE,
BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE FOR FREE
GAVE US SHELTER, SO WE ARE SO
THANKFUL TO POLAND FOR HOSTING US, FOR MAKING HELP POSSIBLE.
US, FOR MAKING HELP POSSIBLE.
>> HOW HARD HAS THIS BEEN?
>> IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. THEY WANT TO SLEEP.
THEY WANT TO SLEEP.
THEY WANT WARM MEALS.
INSTEAD OF COLD.
MANY CHILDREN ARE SO IMPACTED.
WHO WANTS THIS?
NO ONE.
WHO WOULD WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO
LIVE ON THE STREETS?
WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE WILL SEE
OUR FATHER.
IT'S SO PAINFUL.
I CAN'T BEAR IT.
IT'S SO DIFFICULT.
THESE CHILDREN, THEY NEED TO
SLEEP, THEY NEED TO BE WASHED,
THEY NEED, TO DO EVERYTHING THAT
THEY NORMALLY DO BUT INSTEAD
THEY'RE SLEEPING IN CORRIDORS.
SO IT IS HARD TO SLEEP IN
CORRIDORS.
AND WE HAVE NO GUARANTEE THAT
THOSE BOMBS BY RUSSIA WILL NOT
BE THROWN ON MY CHILDREN.
WE USED TO LIVE IN A HOUSE THERE
IN KHARKIV AND AROUND US THERE
WERE MORE MODERN HOUSES WITH
CHILDREN, THE SAME CHILDREN AS
MINE, WE WERE IN A COMMUNITY
THERE.
NO ONE WISHES OTHERWISE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> JONATHAN, THANK YOU FOR
GIVING US THE TIME TO LET THEM
TELL THEIR STORIES.
BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT, FOR DAYS,
WE HEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN, WE ARE
MEETING CHILDREN, WHO ARE SCARED
AT TIMES, THEY THINK THIS IS A
FUN TRIP, SHE TALKED ABOUT HOW
HER OLDEST SON, WHEN THE BOMBS
WERE FALLING, HE THOUGHT IT WAS
A GAME, HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND SHE
HOPES, SHE PRAYS, HER YOUNGEST
SON WILL NEVER REMEMBER THIS,
THIS IS ONE FAMILY'S STORY, 1.5
MILLION PEOPLE HAVE FLED
UKRAINE, THIS IS ONE OF
COUNTLESS SIMILAR STORY, EVERY
PERSON WE SPEAK TO, THEY WANT
THEIR CHILDREN TO BE SAFE.
AND THEY WANT TO GO HOME.
AND THEY WANT THIS WAR TO END.
JONATHAN?
>> THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT
STORY TO US.
THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY, VERY