Romani woman who fled Ukraine: Bombs and tanks drove us out of Kharkiv, we left everything behind

In the Polish town of Przemyśl, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, what was once a Tesco supermarket has now become a refugee detention center, and buses are transporting refugees there from the Medyka border crossing. Among those fleeing the war are Romani people from Ukraine. 

One Romani Ukrainian woman in Przemyśl told ROMEA TV: “[We’re from] Kharkiv. We escaped from there and left behind everything we had, including our homes.”

“Now, for us, it’s normal here, we have no problem with food. All we need is something to drink and dry bread, the main thing is for the entire family to be together,” she told ROMEA TV, adding that she is waiting for the rest of her family to arrive so that they can all decide where to go next together. 

On one issue the refugees are clear: They will never return to Ukraine. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said yesterday that it has documented the deaths of 516 civilians, including 37 children, since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

A total of 908 civilians have been documented as injured. According to the UN, the actual number of victims will probably be much higher. 

More than two million people have already fled abroad. Most refugees from Ukraine are heading to Poland.