will be the journey of his life ah, far from home. ali can finally become the person he's always wanted to be. and i have only spur, badly elementary credit, and we'll go through with it. i was born in stuart's march 30th on d, w. ah hundreds of thousands of ukrainians are flaying the war into neighboring countries to the west. including romania, a handful of others are heading in the opposite direction. natalia and dema were on holiday when russia invaded ukraine their returning to be with their children in khaki. if a city under brutal attack back home,

they will find themselves in a war zone. a living hell, michigan federally died somalia and we were in the cellar now. that's been planes flying, iverson dropping bombs. it's like this all day long. so it did, maria and her grandchildren were able to escape this horror. it took them 2 days to make their way from odessa to romania, where they and now in safety. that's wrong. and why do we need these wars? hosea, when they put it really, my parents went through wonderful. now it's our turn of the national actually, i don't want my grandchildren to have to go through one. if it is of i with the summer magazine. priscilla mm ah

. and branch of the danube river forms part of the border between romania and ukraine. refugees who managed to bo this fairy had a dangerous journey behind them. they have waited for hours at the ukrainian border control. little damina and his dog spits are among them. damina his sister ya, his love now and their 71 year old grandmother have just made their way from odessa hitchhiking to the border, crossing at olive co. 300 kilometers without a break, without sleep. why? all these people are hoping to find safety, but they don't know what really awaits them. joe's love not was just about to finish her history degree. now she's fleeing with her little brother damina and their grandmother. did they expect that vladimir putin's threads would become

a reality, jo shipping to bring him allergic to them, but i pulled up a gun. i didn't take it seriously. lies them on the way my children wanted to get me out of here. but i thought they're very worried delicious. but as i'd say, i have 2 daughters who work in germany and they're worried about their children in those. and i'm going with the thoughtful should not change whom are your chevy ones worried about what's happening in the big cities coverage and what's happening nearby. you little dog. it looks, i'm one of the odessa isn't far away. and snake island has been destroyed me in the austin of both of them when they would over i'll the other people are being killed with the other just put, i hope the world community will react to the russian president's actions and that there will be peace in ukraine ukrainian boys are dying right now. again, the stand in with them was show him that grains clocked in odessa was attacked

right at the start of the war. yahoo, latina and dummy fled to their grandmother in the village, but it was not safe there either. the 3 of them left as soon as they could get along a shuffle stalker yourselves. what are my plans and flung them and i'm just so tired, which i have no plans on you. my children make the plans for me and that you did. i'm not, well, they should have left money the higher up, but my children are worried about me and want us to be together. i wasn't but as i told you should get a book backwards. i don't know what will happen next august of that is we help with that. we don't have to stay away for too long. i had to have with him to look at that. so glitch on his which allison in 20 minutes, the refugees reach and yeah, and the safety of the a you. but some people are heading in the opposite direction like natalia and dema

. they also didn't believe the threats of war and went to istanbul for a short holiday break. then they heard that their home city of khaki was being shelled. now they're desperately trying to get home as fast as they can and it hurts so much that my children are in cottage degree clinical, but that's of the russians are trying to enter harker honey as i tanks are attacking the city. yes. and i have stops. there shelling residential areas of st. louis at night. they bombed the airport very heavily watching sina only dylan. interested in amsterdam, we flew to stumble for 4 days for a break and our children stayed with their grandmother and khaki this year. but now they stuck there. today they had to go to the cell a 3 times. you had to remove saddam more. we need to get home to you crying to defend you crying. is this you read your good a know maria

and her grandchildren managed to escape the fighting, but steamer and natalia have a long journey ahead of them through a war zone. the very place that these people have fled at us. we're afraid for our lives. we don't know what will happen to morrow. we need weapons give us weapons to defend our country, but again, i will support us unless stains people are fleeing because shells are exploding around us. your whole yes. what they're attacking us from the air and no one stopping them up. good. then you're in the cities, no one is safe. but mobile phone connections are still working. demarco's cock, give every hour. are you okay? you know what wida are you in the apartment or the basement, sir? thank god. oh, stay strong with you. i will be there soon. that my son you hugs and kisses. hello?

yes, everything's okay. we have to stay strong. everything will be all right. on that book on you, such as we don't have a plan yet. so we have let's, now we have to go back through odessa still and then we'll see what we hope the trains are still running in session of what we really hope. so that which, if not, we'll hitchhike, it doesn't matter. we'll get there any way we can coordinate. what the coordinate you have to let the school i would walk if need be maria and her grandchildren, and now one romanian soil. the soccer crossing only opened for tourists last summer . it's not equipped for such a flood of people the refugees will have to stand in line again until the board of police have checked

every passport limit of ukrainians with a new biometric passport. pass through with no difficulties. but we have friends that are in there for some time just for some time. that's what everybody here is hoping. maria wants to go to her daughter's in germany as soon as possible. she has arthritis and is in constant pain. damina is being brave, at least he has his dog spits with him, and the only appointment i never thought about leaving my dog behind. who would look after her kamesha, with the dogs, his best friend that we want there to be peace everywhere, gotten security. so let's look at how long will it take to get to germany.

meanwhile, the ferry is returning to ukraine. natalia and d. my don't know if and when they'll see their children again. with in 2014, the family fled from the separatist region in the far east of ukraine. so they have already experienced a war and lost a hun home at the shots, happy illinois name. so we know we're already in ukraine. it's our home, our country damaged. i don't like going back to khaki if they hold russian president vladimir putin responsible for the war and the destruction of their homeland gunners. kazi says he's waging a war of liberation to just liberation from wash that cover. i'm a russian speaking ukrainian field that i have no idea what we need liberating from genuine you my a german jasa which died they arrive in ukraine,

still caught in their memories of fleeing the separatist region. years before the recreation. he wasn't one of them. we won't run away again. wait, that's not what we know. what it's like. let me hold them what people are fleeing, but we're going back to defend our country with me back to e saca on the romanian side of the danube. after a 2 hour wait, maria and her grandchildren have finally reached the possible control. but there's a problem. the children's passports are fine, but maria doesn't even have a passport or just an old expired id card. or maybe you hired face every i the children could cross the border right away, but they don't want to leave their grandmother behind. it's not clear what will

happen 1st they send into attend for refugees with passport problems. they'll have to wait again. years love now wants to join her mother who's been living in germany for the past few years. with vicky jazz at us more. i'm lucky. she's there and i can go to her. ne, many ukrainians don't have anything like that. so they have to stay behind it at the moment. it's a big problem. it's have a couple of glad my friends in odessa have to hide in emergency shelters. junior, they're afraid all the time, e for their city and their country was chat the situation there is really horrible as a so crane. i will say that the more doctrine of the refugees who have passed through passport control want to move on as fast as possible. to relatives and friends scattered all over europe. romanians from the area have already organized help for

the refugees. father gabriel was one of the 1st to offer help. every day he goes to the border crossing at a sock shaw to ask the refugees what they need. either you have a place to stay these belgian about guardian, if you know any one who has no where to go, please let me know. i like these people are here to help you while you, since i just up the except that i bought it into the priest is the administrative head of 18 churches and for monasteries in the region that gives him the resources to help the refugees, not local to children yet let ask your daughter, don't worry, but you never hit a fit for somebody supposed to pick us up. but if he doesn't come, we'll ask you for help with all good, let us know what to be fighting. the fairy is waiting on the ukrainian side.

it will take a while until it brings more refugees over and look back over in or leave in ukraine. the ferry only shuts off once it's full, but things are more difficult over there. and i call it that it will limit my grill . i'm up with them tomorrow. those 1st there are about 30 refugees a day. so they stayed 2 or 3 days and moved on. j. r. transmittal. tell me what supplies you've collected and how much and we'll pick it up. j. oh, good night. but in the my poor father gabriel has called for donations in his parish. everything is collected here in this gymnasium and he satcher there's been an outpouring of help and solidarity here. the donations are so generous that the volunteers can hardly keep up and distribute them where they're most needed. yet out yesterday we could only send

out one truck little claybrook, i'm i we have to make sure that the donations keep moving the bill up. oh they don't. they pick the vowels and tommy for that money in the gymnasium. there are diapers, water, food, and clothing. many teachers and high school students are volunteering here on my 7th 8. how did you end up here with it, wilson? i mean, our teachers brought us out. they said to my, come along, join him joke. we want to help our neighbors joke. what grade are you in the 11th his or them resorting the clothes for children? oh yes. the 1880 young people are waking up like when they encounter such a brutal reality. lost it. of course it's a shock for them. she could order her that they own shock with them. each. bentley, these beds are ready and waiting for more refugees. this extended family

has been here for a few days already. they belong to the romanian, speaking minority in ukraine. did any one stay at home? oh, did you know that one of my sons he wasn't allowed to come? he had to join the army, were sad and afraid he'll be sent to the front and killed madison is a goddess good that he's 27 years old a little. and now where do you want to go to poland or do you have a place to stay there sunday, look, we feature 5th. you are that i have 2 daughters there. hammons. i see father gabriel lives tank kilometers away in the village of ne koolaid. so he's offered up his own kitchen to help the refugees. women from the village prepare hot meals here every day. they host meals will help sustain the refugees and lift their spirits. anika and alena are worried about the war that has broken out just across

the border, comma. we've never had a situation like this and we hope nothing like this will ever happen to us. these poor people don't know where to go. god protect us. so those poor children, it breaks your heart. but we are afraid to live. it's very close to us to where we live. we worry too about our families and our children. family to look well. we head to the city of con, stanza romania is largest city on the black sea. professor emmanuel puppy. our new teaches history and politics here at the university. he's also observing the war with concern. on the

very 1st day, russian troops occupied snake island, which lies in the black sea. just across romania is maritime border. he bought on saw he is felicia, florida. no one to send us. the importance of this island to call should not be underestimated. and gardening, pre by the order it was occupied by russia in the 1st hours of the military conflict, all forced for event. if you got those that are important, that battery important oil and gas reserves have been found near snake island to yet us, which are especially important for the russian federation, battiata and also for romania. if you don't front all maniachi, they could help reduce the gas dependency of the european union. there he broke out a board or near would open it somebody more than the conflict is coming close to the romanian border. not all she does off russia is demanding that needle troops leave romania. she argues. thought you are

only thought and that their military bases and the weapons station there be destroyed. ok chip law, but at roger, but the idea that romania would leave nato is not even a hypothetical possibility. when she brought a new york on law on you fellow, he brought it back to natalia and dema. they hitch hiked to odessa and managed to reach their children in khaki after just a day's journey by train didn't good many lives in their reporting on their situation, making video calls and sending videos by cell phone. war is on their doorstep. so initially, yesterday our day goes on in the cellar on the on it was sitting here, plains above us. we hear the sirens live that everything will be okay. the ukraine will when i know it to her. so because we're going to the did, yes,

i am in the local militia 11. yeah. oh not here in hark. every, every term were volunteers have collected supplies as best they could. but yesterday a missile hit, the regional administrator building in our temp was destroyed. * oh, my god, i'm sure you as well. after that we volunteered tried to contact our leaders, but got no reply or not. you got back into action after an interruption of 24 hours, but only in small groups. happy, not wanting to jo. this is what it looks like. we're living in the cellar for the one that does a bit. natalia police hide. it's not good. what you're doing. plains from belgrade are dropping bombs. but i just don't understand why this is how we live. the streets are empty, litzy from time to time. you see somebody but not often. we did the clinician books now, emily and yet though i did hear the day coming i'm. he is sweet heartily. the planes

are coming closer to promise back in romania, at the south church border crossing. a steady stream of refugees from ukraine keeps coming. more tense will put up for people whose travel documents don't made e regulations. huh. so was maria's passport problem still hasn't been solved. i thought we'd have, we have to go to the container over there. that's where we take the fingerprints. maria has no travel document that meets the e u requirements. she'll have to apply for asylum here in romania. otherwise, under the law, she would have to go back to ukraine. taking fingerprints is part of the asylum application process. officially, she's still not allowed to enter romania and it's unclear how long she'll have to wait. at $71.00,

she's become frail and the weight is hard to endure. forbes toys by in the morning, i'll stay awake, but i can't sleep before i was always alone in peace and quiet. now i have no choice but to sit and wait. what else can i do if there is no other way? i'm here anyhow. what else can i do? nobody at the border crossing has explained much to maria. she doesn't realize the situation she finds herself in class, but when you said a more you feel about it, and even when my passport problem's been solved, that will have to wait here for someone to come and pick us up. ok, so jack rancho oh i am so grateful to everybody who's taking care of him. but he did. my mom was at us serve you brother. my mother is in europe, but my father is in ukraine. his annual and very worried about him. louis as

a shift and all the people who couldn't flee and had to stay to fight for ukraine. la. it's a huge problem for ukraine that the russian aggression is taking over all our city's church on this. i'm really worried. yeah, those are finish of i'm not on them. why don't we need these wars? my parents went through one. now it's our turn. you don't want to pull at all if us i don't want my grandchildren to have to go through one milk. it's a much lee, if a dish of ours to some bags is pushed along it's unclear how many nights maria will have to spend in this tent with her grandchildren waiting in a kind of limbo. the remaining authorities aren't permitted to send her on to germany. we go back to the parish rooms in the romanian village of nicoli itself winter has

returned to the danube region close to the border. father gabriel brings the soup that elena and anica have made it normally. this building hosts meetings for local clergy members. now it's a place of shelter for refugees. 12 people arrived here last night. in a within my, we see the terror in their eyes. it's always see terror and fear of the unknown. they've left their home in and have no idea where they'll end up. please acquisition, or stay on the edge. elena and anake as vegetable soup is welcome here. for many, it's their 1st war meal in days. most of them come from the odessa region, including valerie or alexandrovna. i retired doctor

didn't tell us who brought all this. so local people, volunteers, they come and bring things here. the refugees enjoy the soup. but the fear remains. the last, i believe that putin is threatening the world with nuclear weapons, unfortunately would be to me, we don't want to die. civil. we want to live in my cell for financing. my son told me that anyway, i'll house law. we mustn't mourn the loss of our house, grab it for the funeral. i do it with you. nobody knows whether the refugees will ever be able to return home. at the moment, all that counts is a quiet night away from the bombs and missiles santa marina arrived with her brother and her young son last night. look out for that. and again, that is,

my son has no idea what's happening in our country. but he thinks we're on holiday that we want them to feel at home here, that they can feel warmth, and their souls thought the quantity and the warmth of these rooms. kudos that they can rest he and live in dignity here. suppose her for minister father gabriel can only come to rest once every one's been tended to many more refugees are going to need his help. when of most of the people who have arrived here so far is not new, where they were heading next to the not. now the poorer people are starting to come in, people who have nowhere else to go. now the more difficult part is coming because they won't just stay one or 2 night. you they'll have to stay here much longer. god

and be our strength. be the shield and defender of the humble devout people of the ukrainian nation. diane. oh, oh. back in turkish, natalia and ema trying to hold out in a city under siege food and other necessities are in desperately short supply. hot out, i'm still on the roller basement not far from our house. you know, you could call it an arid shelter. it's covered with earth, a relic from soviet times. it's terrifying their bombing civilian facilities. today they hit the city center, a children's hospital. it's barbaric shell grocery stores to you. there are 2 supermarkets here on our street. last night they were targeted, embalmed, and cut off from electricity. water and heating bombing just keeps going to other

grocery stores to they're doing it on purpose, which i, transportation system has collapsed. there are no tax. these are public transport is no longer working for anyone who wants to travel has to wait in line for a long time. the same goes for food, water and medicines collapsed. some we know when to line up at 6 am was already number 120 on line. the shops are only open for 2 hours a day. people are desperate. there will be a humanitarian catastrophe. scheme you. this is what russian pace looks like. now we're in the basement with those similarity fighter jet, flying over us and dropping bombs all day. every day. you guys are gumble ever explosions. here

we see there's a convenient for you. what will become of us? 6 days of was and was still hiding in me. him back in romania we had should the city of to about an hour away from the ukrainian border. this is where the regional office in charge of migrants and refugees is located. maria and her grandchildren, years loved and dumb you have been brought here. they may have escaped the war suffering and death back home, but the end of their journey is no way in sight. ah

ah, one month since the war and ukraine began, creatives and artists are caught in the middle. between escape and resistance. truth and propaganda. crying out in silence. arch 21. in 30 minutes on d w. ah. with tips for your bucket list, ah magic corner check hot spot for food and some great cultural memorials to boot. do w, travel,

all we go ah ah, this is d w y from berlin, u. s. president jo biden's, message of unity in warsaw. for god's sake, this man cannot remain. well. the white house clarifies bite and is not calling for regime change in russia. after the u. s. president least the blame for the war in ukraine, where lee at the feet of vladimir pro chet. bye, he says the russian people are not the enemy. also coming up on the show strikes on

the west of ukraine officials, they're say 5 people have been injured.