Ukrainian refugees continue to pour into Romania in the third week of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, over 101,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania through the Siret border crossing.
Volunteers are working 24/7 at the Siret border crossing, greeting the weary and anxious refugees as they cross into the country and providing them with hot drinks and soups. Firefighters are helping the refugees to carry their luggage and push wheelchairs; several religious organizations have set up tents where they help the refugees plan their next move; groups have set up tables filled with free food and toiletries for the refugees.
The JDC-American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee set up a tent at the Siret border crossing to provide refugees with food and medicine and assistance in finding shelter, seen on March 15, 2022. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)
Some of the refugees will be hosted by friends in Europe or beyond, with most planning to travel by train to Western Europe. Many have no idea where they are going next. They will remain in the border area for a day or two before traveling to their next destination.
A refugee from Ukraine warms himself at the Siret border crossing on March 15, 2022. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)
The Romanian city of Suceava, located about 25 miles south of the Ukrainian border, has set up several camps and shelters for the Ukrainian refugees, including the Mandachi Hotel, which has been converted into a refugee shelter occupied mostly by women and children.
Refugees at the Suceava train station prepare to board a train that will take them to their next destination inside Romania on March 15, 2022. (Maya Margit/The Media Line)
At the Suceava train station, refugees are boarding trains for other parts of Romania. The train to Bucharest is standing room only; from Bucharest, they will travel to other cities in Europe.
Refugees sleep in tents at the Siret border crossing between Ukraine and Romania, where the temperatures drop below freezing at night. (Maya Margit/The Media Line)
A sign to reassure the Ukrainian refugees posted at a shelter in Suceava. (Maya Margit/The Media Line)
Most of the refugees have left family behind in Ukraine. They insist that they do not want to remain in Western Europe or even in the United States when the fighting stops in Ukraine; they say they want to return to their homeland and rebuild.