For millions of Ukrainians, the Russian irruption five days ago brought death, terror and query. For Mila Hadzieva, an IT director in the western megacity of Lviv, it brought a searing clarity of purpose.
Hadzieva coordinates the hundreds of levies working24/7 at Lviv’s main distribution centre for philanthropic aid grounded in an art gallery in the shadow of a 19th-century palace. In better times, it mulled with excursionists.
Moment, the gallery’s halls crowd with levies sorting the mountains of bestowed goods-clothes, food, medical inventories-into boxes for distribution to those in need.
They include hundreds of people staying insub-zero temperatures at Lviv’s train station, hoping to board a rare train to near Poland, and hundreds more bivouacked out in buses and motorcars along the congested road to the border.
“This isn’t just our fight,” said Hadzieva, as news spread on social media of a ruinous rocket strike in the war- torn eastern megacity of Kharkiv.”We’re shielding Europe. We’re shielding republic.”
She said Ukraine’s sympathizers around the world now had”the ultimate decision to make Are we fighting together or not?”
In Lviv, a megacity of notorious for its architectural beauty and artistic heritage, residers canvassed by Reuters remained recalcitrant but ready for the worst.
Air- raid enchantresses have gone off further than a dozen times since the Russian irruption began onFeb. 24, transferring numerous rushing for basements and other harbors.
So far, no losers had landed in Lviv, but near municipalities had been targeted.”We do not know where and when the dumdums might strike,” said Hadzieva.
And numerous Leopolitans-as occupants of Lviv are known in English-were still preparing for the eventual appearance of Russian dogfaces.
Unnecessary shops remained largely closed in what felt to some like an edgy rehearsal of Lviv’s epidemic arrestment in 2020. The trade of alcohol in shops and caffs from 6p.m. to night was banned from Monday because”it is critical for everyone to stay focused,” according to the megacity’s media centre.
