I left for the border very spontaneously with a colleague at 5 a.m. on Saturday the 26th of February 2022. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had been going on for two days.

Trips like this are the daily bread of any experienced photographer, but the thrill is there as always. We are driving a bit in the dark, towards Przemyśl. On the way we run out of fuel, a lot of confused people, slight panic.

We make it. First the border crossing in Medyka. Huge traffic jam, lots of parked cars. Crowds of people waiting for relatives and friends.

There is the first group. I have seen a lot in my life but this sight makes something tighten in my throat. Young mothers are walking. Each is pushing a pram, dragging a suitcase or holding a child's hand. They are helped by Polish border guards. They are touched.

Everything looks a little different than it did at the other border, not so long ago. Here, newcomers are greeted with joy, with tears in their eyes. Friends or family take these young women in their own cars. They are now safe. Not far away, in fact right next door, there is a crowd of Ukrainian citizens who want to return to their country. They are mainly men. They will fight the enemy.

Then I head to the border crossing in Korczowa. In the evening, the railway station in Przemyśl and the reception point at the hypermarket.

And so on for three days.

Each time it is different. More and more refugees and more and more people who want to help. And they are helping. The situation seems to be under control. Shops are working, there is electricity and, for the time being, you can call everywhere. Piles of clothes and food are growing. Everything will come in handy. Only the news from the front is getting more and more terrible.

On the way back a long column of military vehicles passes us. The matter is serious. After all, there is a real war just across the border.

There are more and more refugees from Ukraine. Their number has long since exceeded one million.

Most of them are going to big cities. There they live in railway stations, stadiums and care centres.