London man who took supplies to Ukraine tells us what it's like in Lviv
Queues of up to four days when leaving Ukraine and crossing back into Poland
Last updated 18th Mar 2022
A man from South-East London has just returned from driving supplies to Ukraine to help those trying to flee their country.
Sergiu Dobos travelled in a large van from Gravesend to both the Polish and Ukrainian borders, leaving on Wednesday and retuning Sunday evening.
With the help of Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers, he unloaded clothes, sleeping bags, hygiene, medical, baby items and various other donated supplies.
He dropped them off at Kyiv Hall refugee camp and Lviv train station. Shocked at what he witnessed; he tells us people are really struggling.
Driving supplies to Kyiv Hall
Sergiu and his girlfriend first passed the Polish border, with the help of soldiers they unloaded the van and dropped supplies at a refugee camp known as Kyiv Hall in English.
He tells us, “We saw lots of refugees getting off buses, kids, bloodstained clothes. They’ve closed the shopping centre and used it to set up beds and first aid rooms, even kindergartens.
“It was emotional. There was this Ukrainian lady, she just looked around and picked up one pair of socks… that says a lot.
“She could have taken everything, we had so many brand-new donated items and it was for them, but she was only looking for one pair of socks.”
Entering the Ukraine border
After dropping off supplies, they drove onto the Ukrainian border and waited around four hours to enter as temperatures reached -13 to -16 degrees.
“I had to wait outside for the office to check all the papers and the Red Cross sticker on the van, they need to know you’re not going there to do any harm.
“There were lots of vans and lorries with humanitarian aid.
“They let us in, and we started seeing barricades with 5 or 6 soldiers warming up, sacks of sand, metal fences, like you see in the movies.
“We had to stop at each barricade, show papers and tell them what we were transporting… not stopping meant death basically.
“I’ve never seen stuff like this in reality, it was a bit of a shock. I didn’t hear any gunfire’s that night, only armed forces ready for dangerous situations.”
Lviv Refugee Camp
On arrival at Lviv they went to the City Centre and were met with soldiers patrolling around 11pm.
Sergiu told us, “The city itself was dead, one of the soldiers told us to go to the train station of Lviv and there was a huge refugee camp there.
“There were soldiers, lots of people, kids, elderly, first aid tents, bonfires, barricades.
“We were met with a Red Cross volunteer and took all the resources out. He told me they hoped the weather stayed like that or even colder, the enemies were suffering in the fields.
“We were scared as we’ve never seen, done, or felt anything like this before, but people were very friendly, at times like this you must be strong and stick together.”
Leaving Ukraine and crossing the border
After dropping the supplies, they set off to exit the border and return home.
“We had to take another border from the one we took to enter when leaving. There are queues of two, three, four days to cross back to Poland.
“When entering, a Ukrainian lady told us to exit through the other border because of the queues.
“We headed South to leave, the roads were tough, and everything was frozen. We had to cross a wooden bridge which was obviously scary, but at that border it only took us around 30 minutes to get back into Poland”, Sergiu says.
He adds, “The night after we got through the border, there was an attack launched 20km from the Polish border at one of the military posts we passed. 34 were killed, 137 got injured.
“We were lucky, if we had slept one more night somewhere and continued our journey, it could’ve been us.”
Ukrainian refugees
Years ago, Sergiu had met a friend online living in Kyiv, they have been in contact despite never having met in person.
“We have been speaking on Facebook and text, she was telling me she’s okay, but things are tough, they don’t know when to run, hide, or when to take cover”, Sergiu says.
He tells us, “We were talking but it’s been a week and she hasn’t texted me at all, the last thing she texted is that they were shelling, that’s what google translate said.
“I let her know I was going through Lviv with supplies, but I haven’t heard anything from her. I don’t know what happened or if she’s okay, but this is the situation.”
Extra donations and supplies
In addition to the donated supplies they shipped in the van, they also raised £1,300 with the help of the community, friends and family.
“We asked the soldiers where we dropped the initial load what supplies are most needed, and they said first aid kits, bandages, medication, baby clothes, baby food, pet food.
“We went to the shops in Poland and used the money to empty the shelves, we emptied two big supermarkets and I went to the pharmacy.
“I think I was supposed to pay around 800 zlotys, but the lady only charged me 200. I think I had at least 400 bandages and 10 to 15 big first aid kits.”
Support for Ukraine
With Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new refugee scheme, Britons are being asked to open their houses to those fleeing Ukraine and entering the UK.
READ MORE: Would you open your home to a Ukrainian family?
“I just want to help, it made me see life differently, the support is amazing but it’s incredibly sad at the same time”, Sergiu says.
He adds, “It’s horrible, it’s heart-breaking what you see there, and we haven’t even seen deep Ukraine. We haven’t even seen what’s happening there.
“They are very brave and have big hearts, something like this shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
The Ukraine conflict timeline
Build-up of tensions
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia began to build in 2019, when Ukraine announced its major foreign policy goals were to join both the European Union and NATO. Russia, who had historically seen Ukraine as within its own area of influence, objected. This was also prevalent in the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Trying to de-escalate tensions
In December 2021, Russia made a number of claims that Ukraine's government was committing 'genocide' against its own people - specially Russian-speakers in the east of Ukraine. To try and reduce the tensions, the United States acted as a mediator between the two countries to keep diplomatic channels open.
Putin recognises breakaway republics
As time wore on, more accusations came from both Ukrainian and Russian media increased anxieties globally. Following escalations in the Donbass region, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would recognise the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions as independent. In a televised address on February 22nd, Putin told media he would send troops into the region for 'peacekeeping purposes'.
The invasion begins
On February 24th at 5:00 a.m. Kyiv time, explosions were heard across the country as Russia's government announced a 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Military tanks crossed the borders in the north, east and south and shelling was heard in every major city in the country. The move caused international condemnation.
Russian troops take Chernobyl
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continued through the day the Russian military advanced towards Ukraine's capital Kyiv. Invading from the north, Russian troops were able to take the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Ukrainian forces were able to hold back Russian troops in other areas across the country.
Kyiv citizens flee
As fighting across the country began, many Ukrainian citizens living in Kyiv felt unsafe and began a mass exodus from the capital. Traffic jams could be seen for miles as people tried to leave the city in favour of the countryside and other countries, including Poland and Romania. Many others chose to stay in the cities, ready to fight against the Russian army.
Zelensky calls for help
At a press conference, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the international community. Dressed in army gear, Zelensky pleaded for military, economic and political support from Western institutions, saying that 'the war will knock on your door' if NATO and the EU fail to act.
Events move from Russia
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many international events and competitions cancelled planned fixtures in the country. UEFA announced that the final of the Champions League would move from St. Petersburg to Paris due to the military conflict, while Formula One announced the Russian Grand Prix would not take place in Sochi in September.
Boris Johnson speaks to Zelensky
Boris Johnson praised President Zelensky's bravery and Ukraine's response. A Downing Street statement said Mr Johnson "paid tribute to the incredible heroism and bravery of President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people." However, Mr Johnson warned there were some "very grim days ahead for Ukraine" and warned that "much tougher" economic sanctions against Russia were needed.
Russian military convoy heads for the Ukrainian capital Kyiv
A 40-mile Russian convoy bared down on the capital amid warnings that Putin will now use 'medieval tactics'. Zelensky said "we are fighting for our life" in a speech to the EU, after accusing Russia of war crimes for bombing the city of Kharkiv.
UK's response to the invasion
The then Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Vladimir Putin is engaging in "barbaric and indiscriminate" tactics targeting civilians. Speaking during a visit to Poland, he also said the UK had set aside £220m in humanitarian aid and will allow more than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees as part of a "new Ukrainian humanitarian route."
International response
In the midst of the crisis, many people across the world were affected by the pictures being shown on their televisions. As a result, a major initiative was launched to help the thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their country. In the UK, millions of items of clothing, food and commodities were donated, all to be given to those struggling after leaving their country.
Kherson falls to Russia
As the war entered March, Ukrainian forces suffered its first major casualty. Kherson, a city in the south of Ukraine, was encircled by Russian troops stationed in Crimea. As a result, the city was then put under Russian control, as other forces pushed towards the east of the country.
Putin readies nuclear capabilities
To combat the looming threat of Western intervention in Ukraine, Russian leader Vladimir Putin instructed his military to be on standby for the potential for nuclear warfare. In addition, Putin said he would call off the war if the West met Russia's demands, including the neutrality of Ukraine and the legal recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.
Companies shut up shop in Russia
Following the invasion of Ukraine, Swedish furniture shop IKEA was one of the first companies to halt trading in Russia. All of IKEA's Russian shops closed on March 4th, leading to large queues in the days beforehand. Several other businesses followed suit - including McDonald's, Apple, Netflix and Google.
Zelensky addresses the House of Commons
Appealing to global leaders around the world, Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke directly to MPs in the House of Commons. Throughout his speech, Zelensky referenced British leader Winston Churchill, saying not only would Ukrainians "fight Russians on the beaches", but "also in the forests, on the shores and in the streets". The President received a standing ovation from MPs following his address.
Humanitarian corridors set up
In order to reach civilians stuck in Ukrainian cities under fire, there were calls for so-called "humanitarian corridors", which could allow those unwilling to stay in cities like Kyiv and Mariupol to leave. However, attempts to cease fire to allow the passage of aid broke down on several occasions, only succeeding on the third and fourth try.
Siege of Mariupol
The southeastern city of Mariupol, located near the Ukrainian border with Russia, became the next target for Russian troops, with shelling targeting the city indiscriminately. The city continued to struggle with no running water and little food supplies. An attack on a maternity hospital in the city killed three people - including a child. Another 17 were injured, leading Ukrainian officials to asking for the enforcement of a no-fly zone in the country.
Peace talks continue
As the war continued on in Ukraine, peace talks were ramped up in order to stop the fighting. Foreign ministers from both Russia and Ukraine met for negotiations in the Turkish city of Antalya. However, despite hoping to make progress, both sides made demands that the other considered impossible to act on and as a result, talks broke down.
UK welcomes Ukrainian refugees
The UK government later went on to relax its visa scheme to allow Ukrainian refugees to come to Britain. Previously, only 4,000 visas had been granted to Ukrainians fleeing the war, leading to growing condemnation of the government's strategy. However, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced a humanitarian scheme that would allow Britons with spare rooms available to house those seeking refuge from Ukraine for at least six months.
Fighting spreads west
As major cities like Kyiv continued to fight against troops on the ground, the west of Ukraine became a prime target for Russian air strikes. A Russian missile attacked the Yavoriv military base, only ten kilometres away from the Polish-Ukrainian border. As a result, NATO states - including Poland - called for preparation of a military conflict.
Russian forces bisect Mariupol
During April, Russian forces bisect Maripol, declaring victory there less than 2 weeks later. At the time of this declaration however, 2,500 Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal steelworks had not surrendered.
Sweden and Finland apply for Nato membership
In May, both Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership. For Sweden, this marked the ending of 2 centuries of neutrality.
Mariupol surrenders
In mid May, around 250 Ukrainians officially surrender in Mariupol after weeks of fighting at the Azovstal steelworks.
The US approves new spending to help Ukraine
The US approves $40bn in new spending for Ukraine, half of it military investment.
Severodonetsk falls to Russian forces
Russian forces advanced on Severodonetsk from three different directions on may 27th. By the 31st, they had control of Severdonestsk's centre - which makes up around 70% of the city. Severodonetsk fell to the Russians on the weekend of June 25th.
Russia fire missiles on Kyiv
Russia fired 14 missiles on Kyiv, some of them being X101 missiles fired from Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers over the Caspian Sea, damaging residential buildings and a kindergarten.
The conflict has continued now for over 12 months with many foreign leaders continuing to condemn Russia's actions.
In February 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky came to the UK to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles