◀ anchor ▶
The battle is intensifying as Ukraine’s main battlefield moves to the southeast, closer to Russia.
But the damage of war isn’t just on the front lines.
Refugees continue to flock to the rear city, and one of them is a city called Chernivtsi.
Our reporters are out there, reporter Jo Hee-won!
I’ve been staying there for three days, and the city is like a ‘giant refuge tent’. Did you express it like this?
◀ Report ▶
Yes, the original population of this small town was 250,000, but there are 50,000 more refugees.
All 40 schools, large and small, are being used as refugee shelters.
I entered a warring country for the first time in my life, but never experienced the front line firsthand.
But, what war is like. One of them might be seen here.
Yurifedkovich State University, the largest in Chernivtsi.
Several strollers are placed at the entrance of the building. The hallway is a seating area with sofas.
In the classroom where there are no students, instead, luggage is piled up randomly.
What was used as a dormitory for university students before the war has now been turned into a shelter for refugees.
This is a space for children under 2 years old, and along the corridor there are spaces for families to stay.
Four hundred refugees are housed here.
Even a 6-year-old child knows that the war is the reason he hasn’t been home for a month.
[디무르/키이우 피난민/(6살)]
“I marked it like this (with an X) because it attacked Korea.”
Another refugee shelter was originally an elementary school. It’s still a safe city, but I’m worried regarding when war will come to this place.
[강사]
“Kneel on your right knee, look at the target, and shoot.”
There are also residents who teach soccer to refugee children.
Children forget war for a moment.
[아르톰/전직 축구선수]
“I started thinking that the experiences I had might be useful for children.”
Another 10,000 refugees are expected to arrive in the city. Schools are already full and we have already pushed the limits of this small city.
[로만/체르니우치 시장]
“It’s not enough because we’re running out of finances. It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen to our city going forward.”
The front is far from here, but this is a war city.
This is Hee-Won Cho from MBC News from Chernivtt, Ukraine.
Video coverage: Ki-taek Hyun / Video editing: Jin Bae
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