'Europe still not fully aware of tragedy and suffering in Ukraine,' frontline aid workers say
Only a dozen kilometres from the border with Ukraine, in Poland’s biggest refugee hub, humanitarian workers running overnight trains with aid to the country at war are worried about Russia’s announcement that humanitarian aid convoys might be legitimate targets.
When Moscow announced in March that any convoy suspected of carrying military aid into Ukraine could come under fire, many feared this would force numerous aid organisations to reduce or completely cease their activities.
But the likes of RegioJet, a privately owned company that began supplying aid on 1 March together with another Czech aid organisation, Člověk v tísni or People in Need, have not changed their minds.
“We try to not think about it. We try to stay positive,” Klára Pilová, a RegioJet attendant told Euronews.
The train takes off daily from Prague to Kyiv, making a stop in Przemyśl to drop off passengers going towards Ukraine and then continues to deliver the aid to the Ukrainian capital. On their way back they evacuate refugees that will be hosted in the Czech Republic.
Originally it operated at full capacity and transported around 800 refugees per trip, but nowadays about 350 take the train daily. So far RegioJet trains have brought in around 600 pallets worth of various aid, including food, water and other elementary supplies.
Pilová, one of the volunteers chaperoning the train between her regular shifts, said that she is concerned about not being able to adequately assist those travelling to Prague since she doesn’t speak Ukrainian or Russian.
“I’m mostly afraid of the conversation. It’s a lot of families. But two of my colleagues speak Russian so it should be fine.”
“I always wanted to help people, somehow or as much as I can, and I see this as a great
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