For Ira Shevtsova, Ukrainian refugee in Poland, the exodus continues

Ira Shevtsova with her daughter and her friend.

© Private collection

Text by: Agnieszka Kumor

3 mins

The exodus of millions of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion continues.

The largest share, more than 2.6 million people according to the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was received in Poland.

Leaving, staying, starting a new life elsewhere, these are questions posed by Ira Shevtsova, a Ukrainian refugee met in Warsaw.

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His eyes are swollen from nights of worry.

Ira Shevtsova worked as a personnel manager in a company manufacturing medical equipment in Kyiv.

“ 

At night, I sleep badly, I stay up until dawn

, she slips

.

That famous day, I woke up around five o'clock in the morning.

Soon after, the shelling began.

It was horror!

 »

The blocked roads

From the first day of the war, Ira decides to leave the city.

Her sister, Ludmila, refuses to leave.

This big sister lives in another part of town, a big dog with her, which she refuses to give up.

And he is denied a seat on the train for the dog.

The sisters say goodbye.

Ira, meanwhile, is offered a seat in a car.

Three cars form a convoy and leave together for the Polish border.

Along the way, they encounter thousands of civilians who, like them, are fleeing west.

The road to Poland is completely blocked, they advance to the rhythm of alarm sirens.

“ 

We passed through a hamlet.

In the morning, it was the bombs again

.

»

►Also listen: The relief of Ukrainian refugees upon their arrival in Poland

The cars separate, the one Ira is in turns south of the country, then west again to try to get closer to Hungary.

Inside, there are only women.

One of them, aged 76, does not support the trip well.

A small dog accompanies one of the passengers.

But how do you leave the poor thing when you leave your whole life behind?

Checkpoints slow their progress.

The route, which usually takes six hours, lasts forty-eight hours.

From Budapest to Krakow

They arrive in Budapest where everyone is resting.

From the Hungarian capital, Ira embarks alone on a bus and finally arrives in Poland where her daughter, Kristina, resides.

On arrival, a surprise awaits him: the Schengen stamp in his passport is Hungarian.

This deprives Ira of the Polish national identification number (PESEL) which gives all Ukrainian refugees access to social benefits and healthcare.

It was only after a month that the Polish government would recognize its mistake, and Ira would be able to treat his hypertension.

After a stopover with a Polish friend in Warsaw, Ira joined her daughter

in Krakow

.

It's a wonderful place

In Ira's family, the story of the exodus repeats itself.

“ 

My great-grandparents helped Polish families who were refugees from the First World War.

And here I am, many years later, a refugee in my turn in Poland.

Has his journey come to an end?

Not really.

Because when asked what she dreams of at night, Ira Shevtsova, the former chief of staff, replies: “ 

I miss my house.

I would so love to see them all again.

Kyiv is a wonderful place.

»

After our shooting in Poland, Ira wrote to us: “ 

The world must know what became of the inhabitants of our country whose lives had been turned upside down on a certain

February 24 in the morning

.

We, the citizens of Ukraine, are in great need of support and understanding.

 According to the latest news, Ludmila, the big sister who stayed in the Ukrainian capital, is doing well.

The two women communicate regularly by telephone.

As for the colleagues who lived in

Boutcha

, this town located northwest of Kiev, where a large number of civilian bodies were found, Ira has not heard from them.

She just keeps hoping they're okay.

►Also listen

: Poland continues to welcome thousands of Ukrainian refugees

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