A German travels the roads of Romania and Moldova to enlist as a volunteer to help in Odessa with the ongoing war
The old bus to Chisinau doesn’t leave until there’s not a single seat left. The ticket to cover the barely 150 kilometers that separate Iasi, the second largest city in Romania, from the capital of Moldova costs 75 lei (about 15 euros). You cannot pay by card or book in advance. There are also no windows to buy tickets. Here the boss is the driver. The passengers are mounting little by little. They all carry thick coats and bulging suitcases. There is almost no room for a pin and many have to carry their bags on their legs. One of the last to go up is Timy. The bus leaves more than half an hour late.
It is enough to take a look at him to realize that Timy is different from the rest. The vast majority of passengers are Moldovans who work in Romania and return home to spend a few days. Very humble people. None speak English. Timy is 55 years old, wears a visor and sports a scarf around his neck. He carries a backpack and a small fanny pack. He goes to Chisinau in order to cross the border with Ukraine and reach Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea. There are his friends, who are preparing for an attack by the Russian Army. There is also the city that captivated him and that trapped him for several years, to the point that he has a stable residence permit. Timy wants to help. But he admits that he has never picked up a gun. His thing is art and enjoying life. “I’m terrified,” he confesses.
The beginning of the Russian invasion took him to Cambodia on vacation. He had been there since November, touring the country on a motorcycle. The war “broke” him inside. His friends wrote to him. He sent them money. But he wanted to do more. In the end, three weeks after the invasion, he took several planes until he arrived at Iasi airport on Friday, very close to the border with Moldova. “I am going to help the civil resistance groups in the kitchen or whatever is needed. But if the military arrive at our door, I will defend myself as necessary », he explains.
Between Iasi and Chisinau there are no highways. In some sections the road is full of potholes. Inside the bus it is very hot, but hardly anyone takes off their jackets and hats. It hardly takes 40 minutes to get to the border. You have to pass two border controls: the one in Romania and the one in Moldova. In one of them, the police force the entire bus to get off. They check passports and trunk. It takes quite a long time. But nothing compared to the long queues in the opposite direction. They are cars and cars with Ukrainian license plates. Hundreds – perhaps several thousand – of people who have managed to leave their country through the border with Moldova and who are now heading for other destinations. People who have managed to get to safety. But they still have a knot in their chest, thinking about when they will be able to return home.
335,000 displaced
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that some 355,000 people have crossed the borders of Moldova. In total, more than 3 million have already fled Ukraine. This country, which is not a member of the European Union, has had to ask for help to deal with this humanitarian emergency. And no wonder. We are talking about one of the poorest states on the continent and which, furthermore, barely has three and a half million inhabitants. According to data from the World Bank, in the year 2000, 50% of its population lived below the poverty line. Today the average salary in this former Soviet republic is around 400 euros. “No refugee who has a choice wants to stay here,” says Irina, a student, from public transport.
The needs are perceived from the first moment. In the towns near the border, many young people are seen carrying bundles of firewood to heat the houses. Many roads are unpaved. Abandoned houses abound. There are hardly any shops or gas stations until you reach the capital. In the distance, the hills are covered in snow. Timy watches the landscape in silence. She only thinks of reaching the border with Ukraine. There he is waiting for a friend who will take him to Odessa. “It’s time to go help. Within a week it may not be possible to enter the city due to the attacks », he repeats.
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