The city of Lviv in western Ukraine is facing shortages of food and medicines, as well as a shortage of volunteers to assist the internally displaced refugees, Croatia's ambassador to Ukraine currently based in Lviv, Anica Djamic, told state agency Hina on Thursday. Pročitaj više

More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, launched an invasion on the country two weeks ago.

Djamic said that western Ukraine is facing “an unprecedented number of refugees” as people from the eastern parts of the country are moving westwards in an attempt to flee from attacks by Russian forces.

The major city of Lviv has become a large transit hub for refugees seeking to cross the border into neighboring EU countries, such as Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Djamic said that everything in Lviv had been put to use to help people in transit to a safer destination, adding that the city’s railway station is full of people, notably women, children, and the elderly.

The authorities of the Lviv district have set up reception centers where incoming refugees can take shelter. “However, food, water, medicines, and toiletries are in short supply,” Djamic warned, adding that there is also a shortage of volunteers working to distribute aid.

Djamic was evacuated from Kyiv last week in a UN convoy, and her journey to Lviv, located about 540 kilometres west of the Ukrainian capital, took four days. Djamic said she would resume her duties from Lviv.

“We have been in touch with all Croatian nationals in Ukraine, and we inform them regularly about options of departing for Croatia,” she said, adding that even though some of them said they were not interested in leaving the embassy would “keep channels for them open.”

According to government’s estimates from two weeks ago, there were around 50 nationals of Croatia in Ukraine.