Lviv, Ukraine, March 17 (AFP/APP): The station in the west Ukraine city of Lviv teems with outgoing passengers, vying for seats on trains leaving the war-torn nation.
But on a desolate platform, far from the main hall, carriages disgorge small huddles of refugees returning home despite the conflict still raging with Russia to the east.
While grateful for Europe’s welcome, many find themselves unable to start a new life abroad.
Wiping a tear from her grandson’s eye, Svitlana Natalukha, 60, says her family travelled for a total of five days, first escaping Ukraine, then turning back.
The grandmother, her 28-year-old daughter Galyna Kanuka, and two grandsons left home in the eastern Kharkiv region and arrived safely in Poland, but came to Lviv on Wednesday.
The family praised Poland’s hospitality but was paralysed by the mammoth prospect of a rootless new life abroad.
“Volunteers helped a lot, but only at the place where they are located,” said Kanuka, huddled on the chill-swept platform next to a mound of packed bags.
“They were telling us to carry on to other cities and find more volunteers there.”
The family also cited a language barrier complicating the treatment of one son’s illness for their decision to return.
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