Ukraine-Russia war: Polish mums’ kindness towards refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin's forces is heartening – Hayley Matthews

I saw a really moving picture recently that’s been doing the rounds on the internet.
A line of prams at the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine. These may have been abandoned by families fleeing the fighting (Picture: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)A line of prams at the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine. These may have been abandoned by families fleeing the fighting (Picture: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
A line of prams at the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine. These may have been abandoned by families fleeing the fighting (Picture: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

It showed buggies and strollers all lined up and left at a train station in Poland. They were left by Polish mums for Ukrainian mums fleeing Ukraine with small children – the thought of that is just unthinkable, unimaginable and absolutely heart-breaking.

Photographs of all these women with babies in their arms, small children on their shoulders or older children walking beside them, really makes the picture of the buggies even more poignant.

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It shows that regardless of the situation, mothers, parents, are sticking together just now for the safety of the children caught up in this awful war, and that’s almost as important as the world leaders getting together.

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With everyone giving donations left, right and centre, it really is so lovely to see the solidarity of people being there for each other through what is one of the worst humanitarian crises since 1945.

People are loading up lorries full of supplies and driving aid over to Ukraine. Others are renting out Airbnbs in Ukraine – not to occupy, just to get funds to people – which is a wonderful idea to get money to the people who need it urgently. I read that Airbnb are waiving fees for Ukrainians renting out their properties on the site – so the people get all the money.

If only the human kindness could stretch to the leaders of our world, the ones who could stop all this in a nano-second, then we’d be a happy planet!

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