13 Stories About Ukrainian Refugees to Restore Your Faith in Humanity
A refugee crisis of epic proportions
More than 8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, and another 6 million have been forced from their homes and internally displaced in Ukraine. The majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children, and they’re part of what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. In the early months of the Ukraine-Russia war, one Ukrainian child became a refugee every second.
Nearly 60% of these Ukrainian refugees have gone to nearby Poland. Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania have also taken in large numbers of people fleeing the war. Meanwhile, Europe has offered to take in more, and President Biden announced last year that the United States would “welcome Ukrainian refugees with open arms.”
One year into the Ukraine war, there still isn’t an end in sight. But people all over the world have been doing extraordinary things—big and small—to aid, comfort and protect refugees. War brings out the worst in people, but it also provides an incredible opportunity to showcase the best of humanity. We’ve rounded up some of the most heartwarming stories of how people are welcoming Ukrainian refugees and how you can help Ukraine right now.
An American man finds shelter for families fleeing with pets
American Aaron Jackson didn’t go to the Poland-Ukraine border with the intention of helping refugee families with pets, but the animal lover (and founder of the nonprofit Planting Peace) quickly found his calling. He was speaking with the director of an animal shelter when a family with a cocker spaniel approached.
The director explained that they were Ukrainian refugees who wanted to give their dog to the shelter because they were homeless and didn’t want their dog to be out in the cold. Jackson leaped into action, and within 20 minutes, he’d found the family pet-friendly housing that would take them and pup Bella.
“You have these families who have traveled 100 miles, 200 miles, to get to the border, and they’ve walked 50 of those miles with a dog on their back,” Jackson told the Dodo. “So if a person is willing to do that for their dog … I’m going to try to do anything in my power to get them into housing with their pet—especially since they’ve already given up so much already.”
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