On the frontline: Birmingham MP at Ukrainian border meets refugees forced to flee their homes

Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill talks about her visit to Przemysl in Poland, near the border with Ukraine, where many thousands of refugees have arrived

Volunteers distract children with toys and games while mothers sit glassy-eyed, wondering what has become of their husbands. Warehouses are filled with nappies, prams and pushchairs, many of them donated by generous Brits. And local officials prepare for another massive wave of refugees.

This is the situation that greeted Birmingham MP Preet Kaur Gill earlier this week, when she visited Przemysl, Poland, near the Ukrainian border. Many thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's bloody invasion have arrived at Przemysl railway station. Others have made the arduous journey to the town by foot.

Ms Gill, the Labour MP for Edgbaston, said: "The thing that probably got to me, and made me very emotional, was just watching the kids playing. They've had to make this journey and that level of uncertainty, and yet they're just getting on with it.

READ MORE: How you can provide a home for Ukrainians

"Whereas I saw a lot of older people and women more in despair. sitting and just looking into space. You know when people are almost there but not there? I witnessed a lot of that from people, especially in areas where people were resting.

"It just hit home, this could be your child, this could be you. How would you feel? What would it be like for you?"

She was visiting Poland in her role as Labour's Shadow International Development Secretary. That usually involves taking an interest in countries such as Pakistan, Ethiopa or Afghanistan - the biggest recipients of UK aid. But today, there is a humanitarian crisis in Europe.

Refugees are housed in temporary accommodation in Przemsyl before being found homes in other parts of Poland or, sometimes, neighbouring countries. It's been a huge challenge for local authorities, but they have been aided by a small army of volunteers.

"It was amazing to see how shopping centres and railway stations have been converted into spaces where you have facilities such as washing machines for people to use. Real great dignity and humanity.

"Volunteers coming to engage kids, play games, getting them to do pictures. Distracting them, because it must be just so awful.

"The solidarity from the Polish people is just amazing A lot of them are volunteers. They told me that every time they put out a call on social media saying this is what they need, local people will just come and deliver it."

It's not just Poles who are helping. People from across the globe have made their way to Przemsyl to support Ukrainians.

"I managed to get down to the Ukrainian-Polish border and see the aid organisations that are pretty much on either side of the border, so that when people are walking through they are able to give them anything they need.

"It was really good to talk to volunteers. As one of them said, the world is here. They had volunteers from Alaska, Japan, you name it. It's quite amazing."

And donations have also flooded in to Przemsyl, many from the UK.

"Warehouses have been converted to store goods, because lots of people have been sending goods from everywhere. It's things from clothes, nappies, prams, wheelchairs.

"I saw UK donations - you can tell from the labels and packaging - and it was good to see that donations from the United Kingdom are being used and stocked in warehouses."

Arrivals are given food, shelter and even a free SIM card. But many have lost contact with loved ones in Ukraine. Those arriving in Poland are nearly all women, children and the elderly, because younger men have stayed behind.

"Ukrainians I spoke to generally were saying it's just such a relief (to have reached safety). They are really worried though, because they have left their husbands behind, their family members. Some people have just lost contact because there are a lot of displaced people in Ukraine. They don't know where people are.

"There was some real worry as to 'we don't know what's going to happen', 'what about our home', 'can we ever come back?' The very basic things that any person would be worried about.

"It was amazing to see how much help for children there was. Whether they were doing board games, colouring, playing football. There was a real understanding of the impact on them and the provision for them was really well thought out. Really treating them with dignity and humanity."

Most refugees stay in Przemsyl for no more than 24 hours, and then are found housing elsewhere. Ukrainian doctors are being taught Polish, so they can return to work. Teachers and translators are being recruited, so that children can get into classrooms and resume their education as soon as possible.

More than 3.6 million Ukrainians have fled their country, and more than two million of those are in Poland. The numbers arriving at Przemsyl are now much lower than at their peak. But as Vladimir Putin's invasion stalls, there are fears he will unleash a fresh wave of bombing and destruction aimed at civilians in major cities, and more people will be forced to seek sanctuary.

"Aid workers talked about how, in the first couple of weeks, it was just toe to toe, and now it's people coming at different intervals. While it's quietened down a little bit, the fear is that the next set of bombings will see a mass influx of people."

Ms Gill said the response of the Polish authorities to the refugee crisis was "amazing". But the President of Przemysl - the equivalent of a mayor - had told her that Poland needs support from the rest of the world.

"The message that the president said to me was, please don't forget us and the support we are going to need, especially if there is another influx of refugees."

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