Leaving home These photos were taken through the windows of the trains taking Ukrainians to safety — and away from their loved ones
It’s been 14 days since Russia’s war against Ukraine began. According to the UN, 2 million people have already left Ukraine — “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.” Many of them have traveled to Lviv, which has become the main transit point for Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum abroad. These photos, taken at Ukrainian and Polish train stations, show Ukrainian civilians as they leave their homes — and their families — behind.
An evacuation train headed toward western Ukraine. Kyiv, February 26, 2022
Pierre Crom / Getty Images
A woman and her children leaving Lviv. This shot was taken from a train going the opposite direction — to Lviv from the Polish city of Przemyśl. Many Ukrainians have decided to return to their country to protect their loved ones during the war. Poland, March 4, 2022
Miguel A. Lopez / EPA / Scanpix / LETA
41-year-old Bogdan says goodbye to his wife, Lena, before she leaves for Lviv from a Ukrainian train station. Bogdan will stay to fight in the war while his family tries to leave the country and seek asylum abroad. March 3, 2022
Emilio Morenatti / AP / Scanpix / LETA
Vlada, Katrin, and Danila look out from the window of an unheated train car that will take them to Lviv. Kyiv, March 3, 2022.
Andriy Dubchak / AP / Scanpix / LETA
Children say goodbye to their father. Kyiv, March 3, 2022
Gleb Garanich / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
A woman in an evacuation train going from Irpin to Kyiv. Two thousand civilians have managed to escape from Irpin, where active hostilities are ongoing. March 4, 2022
Chris McGrath / Getty Images
Ukrainian refugees leaving Kyiv. March 5, 2022
Sergey Dolzhenko / EPA / Scanpix / LETA
A train at Kyiv’s central railway station. March 5, 2022
Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Children draw pictures on a train car window at the Lviv train station. Lviv has become the main transit point for refugees on their way to Europe; most are headed to Poland. March 2, 2022
Alejandro Martinez Velez / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA
People bid their relatives farewell before leaving for Lviv. Kyiv, March 3, 2022
Vadim Ghirda / AP / Scanpix / LETA
A woman in a train headed for Lviv. Kyiv, March 3, 2022
Vadim Ghirda / AP / Scanpix / LETA
Alexander says goodbye to his five-year-old daughter, Anna, who’s about to leave for Lviv. Kyiv, March 4, 2022
Emilio Morenatti / AP / Scanpix / LETA
Translation by Sam Breazeale
Photo editing by Katya Balaban