Arrival In Lviv

I arrived in Lviv in the early evening in a taxi from the border. Western Ukraine felt familiar from my decade of living and traveling in the post-Soviet space. Gold Orthodox church domes gleamed in the late afternoon sun and the small stores with hard salamis, beer, soft drinks and bread seen everywhere in Ukraine (and Russia) dotted the roadside in the small cities and towns on the way from the border. Lviv was new to me, though. It is kind of familiar because it reminds of Prague, Krakow, and other cities of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it is one of the few sizable Ukrainian cities I haven't seen. The population is about 800,000 people, but I was told that refugees had swelled the city to around 1,200,000. No one is very sure, though. On the way to Lviv, I feel the anticipation of seeing a city new to me, mixed with uncertainty at what I would see of the humanitarian crisis there. Through personal contacts, I plan to visit refugee centers, meet with local officials and see the system at the train station for people arriving from Kharkiv, Kyiv and Mariupol and for those headed west to Poland.

I wondered about speaking Russian in Ukraine and if there would be issues. In Poland, surprisingly, it was not a problem. Before I came, a Russian friend still living there, but who is opposed to the war, told me that he heard Russian speakers faced attacks on the street. But that wasn't my experience, at all. There were refugees everywhere speaking both Russian and Ukrainian. I discovered that the younger people speak English as a second language and the older folks can communicate in Russian since it was obligatory to learn when Poland was under the Soviet Union's thumb. But when I crossed the border, there was no issue with Ukrainian control or customs or in negotiating a cab to Lviv, about 50 miles east of the border.

The center of Lviv was full of activity at around 7:00 p.m. when I found the place where I am staying on central Svoboda Prospekt. I checked in, communicated with contacts and fell asleep. My day started in Rzeszow, Poland not more than 150 miles west of Lviv. But travel by train, car and nearly 3 hours at the border is tiresome. I have crossed borders more times than I can count between Russia, Ukraine, and other post-Soviet states. The lines, questions and time make for a long day. And I had a short night, the night before. Later, I was woken to the sound of air raid sirens- the result of several rocket attacks on Lviv in recent weeks. There is a curfew, too. Everyone must be off the streets and inside by 10:00 p.m. Accordingly, the restaurants are almost all closed and locked up by 8 p.m.

A few months ago, few people in the U.S. knew where Lviv is or had even heard of it. Now it is on everyone's tongue and in the news every day. A few million refugees moving through a city and some rocket attacks will do that.

Polish/ Ukrainian Border Crossing- Medyka

I traveled by train in Poland from Warsaw to Krakow and on to Przemysl. From there it is a short drive to the border crossing at Medyka. The first thing noticeable at the pedestrian border was a large number of tents providing food, water and medical support. Relief agencies from all over the world, including the Egyptian Red Crescent, Israeli Medical, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and World Central Kitchens have a presence. It was impressive to see the humanitarian response at this chilly border crossing.

As soon as the refugees exited the tented area after crossing by foot, buses are waiting to take them to the train station a few miles away in Przemysl. There were more food tents there for those forced to wait for an extended period for trains to take them elsewhere in Poland. At train stations everywhere in Poland, a small army of volunteers provides further support with train schedules, baggage and even toys for Ukrainians suddenly adrift.

Once on the trains, mostly women and children are sent all over the country to be met by Polish hosts. It is so well organized that within days, Ukrainian children are attending schools in Poland. A friend living near Warsaw told me that his son's 2nd grade class has 2 Ukrainian children and there are about 30 in the school. He told me that this is repeated throughout Poland.

I spent some time talking to relief organizations, taking photos and videos. Then I dragged by bag and the medical supplies that I brought from the U.S. across the border. The actual crossing was an unusual mix of people. There were a few Ukrainians who lived near the border returning with items they had purchased in Poland, one American (?) man who appeared to be a fighter coming across to help fight and woman and her teen-aged grandson. They were from the U.S. and Malissa (non-traditional spelling) was a very experienced burn nurse. She traveled with her grandson to Poland and now were entering Ukraine to offer her services.

Also, while I was waiting at Polish passport control, I saw a young woman from the Israeli medical team and a Polish officer engaged in very friendly conversation. The cameraderie that I saw among the relief agencies and this flirtation in a region that has seen hundreds of years of pogroms, Soviet repression of the Poles, the Holodymr and Holocaust gave me a few minutes of hope.

This was shaken out of me quickly. I exited the border crossing and saw thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war. A few meters away, I spoke to two Ukrainian men waiting at the curb for a ride. We asked each other our destinations. "Lviv" I said. "Kherson" was the grim reply. They didn't need to tell me that they were going to find family and fight the Russian Army.

Krakow, March 25th, 2022

Krakow, one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, experienced the Holocaust directly. The Jewish community was wiped out, first their homes were used as a ghetto. Eight decades later, people are again flooding into Poland, this time not in trains from Hungary, Czechoslovakia and France, but from Russian rockets, bombs and tanks destroying their homes and killing family and friends.

Warsaw

I spent several days in Warsaw for meetings. A friend in Russia told me Russian-speakers were concerned about the reaction to speaking Russian in Poland. I don't know about much of the country, but at least in Warsaw and Krakow, no one seemed to care what language people use. Presumably, many people in Poland were speaking Russian before the war in Ukraine. Now, I hear Russian spoken openly on the streets. No one seems to care.

Also, I saw that Polish people were very helpful to Ukrainian refugees in public places. They helped them with luggage, donated money and food quickly, and offered directions. 

A friend with a child in elementary school in Warsaw told me that his son's school already has more than 30 Ukrainian children attending. Most are living with Polish familes. A couple I know drove over 300 miles to pick a family up at the border and drive them home for safe housing. However, there are limits to how many refugees Poland, Romania, Moldova and other neighboring countries can effectively accept. It is said now that 1 in every 2 Ukrainian children is displaced. And that there are 10,000,000 displaced people. Where will they go? It has been suggested to me by Russians that this is Putin's plan to destabilize the countries nearest him in the western world and NATO. I am not sure that was his plan, but I do believe that anything destabilizing in Central Europe is welcome to him.

What will countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France do? We can not expect our friends in Poland and other countries bordering Ukraine to bear the entire burden. To this date, the United States has only committed to accepting 100,000 refugees. I don't believe that is enough.

Some will say we should have taken in more refugees of other conflicts. I agree. 

Urgently Needed Medical Supplies

I have a bag of trauma kits and other emergency medical supplies that my cousin and niece kindly donated. Word reached emergency personnel and physicians in western Ukraine directly dealing with the injured that  supplies are in Poland. In talking over delivery, they mentioned a desperate need for the items listed below, due to the large number of wounded and limited supplies on hand.

If anyone reading this has ideas on purchase and delivery, please contact me at talley.br@gmail.com   We have a Go Fund Me page set up, but I have not promoted it. 

Absolute priority- hemostatics:

1. Tourniquet for critical bleeding (ex: САТ or СІЧ)
2.  Tourniquet for pelvis injury with inflatable cuffs (ex: Sam)
3.   Israeli bandage size  4"", 6"", 12""
4. Hemostatic bandage with radiopaque lines (ex: Combat Gauze or Quikclot)
5. Hemostatic sponge
6. Chest seal with and without valve
7.  Burn dressing of various size, face and body (ex: burnshell)
Needs:
1. Splint for limbo (ex: Sam Splint)
2. Infusions of Sodium Chloride, Ringer, HES in software pack  (glass is not suitable for medical bags) + drip systems + intravenous catheters G18 or around that size.
3. Intraosseous catheters (priority - chest. ex:Fast)
4. IGel size 4, 5, 6 (adult)
5. Nasopharyngeal pipe (middle and large size)
6. Cricothyrotomy kit ( ex CricKey)
7. Eye shield
8. Decompressione needle

Equipment:
Priority: kevlar plates and helmets

Needs:
1. Tactical glasses
2. Head lamp (red light)
3. Sleeping pads
4. Sleeping bags
5. Medical backpacks, ampoule holders, etc.

"Tranexamic Acid (500 mg)
Ondansetron
Naloxone
Adrenaline
Mesonotum
Dexamethasone
Ceftriaxone
Cefazolin
0.9% Sodium Chloride 10 ml
40% Glucose
Dexalgin
Furosemide
Vitamins C, B1, B6
Dithylinum
Magnesium Sulphate
2% Lidocaine
10% Lidocaine
Cordarone
Digoxin
Thiopental
Drotaverine
Analgin
Atropine
Euphylline
Nitroglycerin
Diphenhydramine
Heparin
Proserin
Papaverine
Platyphylline
40% Glucose

///

Solutions
Sodium Chloride
Ringer
Hydroxiethyl Starch (HES)
Gelofusine

Soft packing is preferable.