“Hungary, Thank You! Thank You for All the Love We Are Receiving!”

After several days of a long and exhausting journey, the first war refugees arrived in Budapest. Numerous organizations and many volunteers are waiting for them at the train stations. They are distributing food, interpreting, and giving a few kind words or a smile to the arrivals. According to reports, thanks to you and the authorities at the train stations and border crossings, things are going smoothly.

This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.

“We came from Kharkiv, no one thought it would be this bad,” said a middle-aged woman in a video from Telex, which was recorded at the scene. She said they had expected something, but not such a big war. She recounted seeing missiles flying from the window of her own home. She tearfully said that they were given shelter with their child by strangers in Budapest, who gave them food, clothing, and even toys. The woman thanked the Hungarians for everything and especially for the love they are receiving here.

Many say that in Ukraine they had to wait 8-10 hours to board a train, and many left their suitcases at the station because there was simply no more room on the trains. Many of the refugees are children and women. But there are also many African Americans who are either studying in Ukraine or have lived in the country as guest workers. One student told Telex:

The Hungarian border officials and immigration were very helpful, everything went very, very quickly and swiftly. We even got a free train ticket to Budapest! Thank you very much for everything!”

Police: 4,002 refugees arrived in Budapest on Monday

A total of 4,002 refugees including 308 children arrived in Budapest by train on Monday, the Budapest Police (BRFK) said. The authorities have organized accommodation for 291 people including 66 children, BRFK announced on Police.hu on Tuesday. Many of the refugees were on their way to relatives or to further destinations. Police are also helping refugees at the Nyugati and Keleti train stations. They are in constant contact with the disaster management directorate, the migration authority, transport companies, and aid organizations to help refugees obtain daily supplies, transport, and accommodation, Police.hu reported.

So far, nearly 90,000 refugees have arrived from Ukraine

Nearly 90,000 war refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Hungary since Feb. 24, government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirályi said Monday. Hungary continues to welcome them “with open arms,” she told state news agency MTI.

All Hungarian-Ukrainian border crossings are open around the clock, and the National Disaster Management Center is also coordinating accommodations for refugees. The government has established a National Humanitarian Aid Coordination Council to collect donations, distribute them to those in need, and assist charities with humanitarian aid. The government also opened six aid centers on Monday in a total of five towns and villages, namely Beregsurány, Tiszabecs, Záhony, Barabás, and Lónya, (i.e. near the Ukrainian border).

Sources: Telex, MTI

Featured image via the Government of Hungary’s Facebook page