Azad Khalifa, a Kurdish entrepreneur who has lived in Poland for 40 years. Photo: Rudaw
LODZ, Poland - A Kurdish businessman in the Polish central city of Lodz has become a great supporter of Ukrainians who have fled war at home and sought refuge in his hometown.
Azad Khalifa, a Kurdish entrepreneur who has been living in Poland for 40 years, says the situation of Ukrainians is akin to that of Kurds who have seen numerous bitter experiences of displacement, a pain that he understands. As a result, he has decided to help Ukrainians out as much as he can.
"Kurds from everywhere have seen displacements several times since 1970. So [the displacement of Ukraine] is not strange to us," Khalifa told Rudaw’s Hadi Salimi on Tuesday, adding that he sees aiding Ukrainians as a "responsibility".
Khalifa says that he has so far helped 100 Ukrainian families who have sought shelter in Lodz.
Ukrainian Irea Sandrin and her son go to Khalifa's restaurant every day where they are served free meals.
"[When] the children are with you, and you do not have grandmother, grandfather or something to help you... and you must earn money, so this is a little bit of a problem," Sandrin said.
Khalifa says he has so far employed around 15 people who have from fled war in Ukraine including Ahmad Darvish, a Moroccan student who was studying in war-ravaged Kharkiv.
"Some of my friends have still stayed in Kharkiv. There have been intense bombings on Kharkiv yesterday and today. My friends called me warning me not to return. They said, 'we have taken refuge in basements'," Darvish told Rudaw.
Until now, 2.6 million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Poland from Ukraine as Russia enters its sixth week of a fully-fledged war on Ukraine, despite international outcry and calls on Moscow for a ceasefire, Bartosz Grodecki, Poland's deputy foreign minister told Rudaw's Hadi Salimi in an interview over the weekend.
"The number is still rising," Grodecki said, adding that many Ukrainians use their land as a transit point from where they move to European countries including Germany, Austria, France, and other western countries.
He added that 95 percent of the refugees are women and children.
Poland has announced that it needs more than $2 billion to help Ukrainians. The European Union has so far provided Poland with around $1 billion.
Poland has provided refuge to at least 2.3 million Ukrainians fleeing war.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and has since seized control of vast parts of the country, so far failing to capture any major city. The city of Kyiv has withstood the Russian onslaught for over six weeks, but despite harsh sanctions and calls from the international community for the suspension of the invasion, Russia seems determined to go ahead with what its President Vladimir Putin calls “a special operation.”
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which is entering its second month of conflict, numerous humanitarian organizations and volunteers have mobilized to the Polish border.
There are currently over 60 humanitarian organizations that help refugees along the Polish border with Ukraine and a huge responsibility falls on the shoulders of the volunteers.
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