The south-western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi remains one of the few safe centres in the country. Since the beginning of the war on Febr. 24, it has received about 50,000 refugees, and several thousand have settled in the Carpathian region. Many pass through, staying for a few days and then leaving Ukraine, mainly across the nearby border into Romania.
Photo by the Aleksandra Klitina
The displaced are everywhere. Most of them are from Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Rivne. Most come by car, but there are also those that get there by rail. The city has set up a 24-hour humanitarian aid headquarters and organized more than a dozen reception points for basic necessities and products. There is a free field kitchen for the uprooted in the central square.
People are accommodated in the dormitories of educational institutions, private homes, and school gyms. Many locals have provided shelter to the dispalced. Local entrepreneurs have also joined efforts in this regard: several establishments serve people for free, including hot sandwiches and drinks.
The regional administration is working on a project to build a modern modular town for the displaced that will provide more comfortable conditions and housing for as many long-term affected families as possible for the longer-term.
The atmosphere in the city is lively. Almost all the shops and cafes remain open in the city center, and the roads are unusually jammed with traffic. The main street is very busy, even on weekdays. Many women and children are walking around the beautiful old former Austo-Hungarian town of Chernivtsi.
Fortunately, it has not experienced the air strikes from the Russian invaders that Lviv, the main focus for Ukrainians seeking safety, situated to the north-west near the Polish border, has been subjected to.
