Photo: Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty
Thousands of Germans have gathered to assist refugees amid the unfoldingwar in Ukraine.
Volunteers were also dispersed at the station distributing food, hot drinks, diapers, coats and more,NPRreported.
A 20-year-old woman named April — a native of Ukraine who has lived in Germany for a year — told the outlet that although she couldn’t help her family flee, she’s doing all she can to help those in need.
For more on what’s happening in Ukraine, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
“The least I can do is help people whowereable to escape,” she said, noting that she’s provided both moral and material support. “It’s very important for me that my fellow Ukrainians feel welcome here, especially the children.”
Carsten Koall/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Matina Wardakas and Timmo Kohlery, a couple in Berlin, also opened up their home to Ukrainian refugees.
“When we started reading the news we said, right away, we need to take someone in, to give someone peace, because it could have been us, this is how we feel,” Kohlery toldBBC.
“We have lived in peace our whole life,” Wardakas added. “We don’t know what it is like to live in war, it’s shocking. Our first thought was we need to help a family so that they can feel safe. We will give them some peace, in this house.”
More than 1.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia began itsattack,according to the United Nations.
“More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighbouring countries in 10 days — the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II,” Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),said in a tweeton Sunday.
Maja Hitij/Getty
An agency spokesperson said the situation “looks set to become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century” while commending Ukraine’s neighbors for keeping their borders open to Ukrainians fleeing Russian attacks.
“We have seen tremendous solidarity and hospitality from the countries receiving refugees, including from the authorities and local communities,“Shabia Mantoo said in a statement.
Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
