'This warms the heart.' Ukrainian refugees gifted empty strollers at Polish train station
Chelsey CoxPolish mothers and volunteer groups have supplied a basic necessity for Ukrainian mothers with children fleeing Russia's assault: strollers.
A picture of empty strollers lined on a train platform at Przemyśl train station Thursday, waiting for families who've fled with only the basics, went viral on social media.
More than 1.7 million Ukrainian refugees caught in the Russia-Ukraine War have been forced to seek asylum in neighboring countries, with a majority entering Poland.
Mothers and daughters were forced to separate from fathers, brothers and other male family members due to the Ukrainian government's moratorium on allowing men ages 18-60 to leave the country.
They've come into Poland and other nearby countries in waves to escape shelling by Russian troops targeting civilian areas of several Ukrainian cities. The journeys often last several days.
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People who shared photographer Francesco Malavolta's picture of the strollers on Twitter praised the Polish moms who stepped up to help in the humanitarian crisis.
Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24, and 1,027,603 refugees have entered Poland as of March 7.
Residents of Vyšné, Slovakia near the Ukrainian border had the same idea. Malavolta also captured the images of strollers at a Slovakia entry point and posted it to his Facebook and Instagram page.
"After the Przemyśl railway station in Poland, also on the border between Slovakia and Ukraine, passengers are brought for those mothers forced to flee Ukraine with their babies," Malavolta wrote in a caption.
More:More than 1.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded. Here is where they're going.
Both pictures of the generous donations quickly went viral on social media.
In some instances, the strollers have been outfitted with children's supplies, such as blankets, Fox News reported Monday.
Reach out to Chelsey Cox on Twitter at @therealco.