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Tom Joyner in Poland

Poland is ready for an influx of Ukrainian refugees as Russian invasion threat looms

The Polish village of Medyka is minutes away from the nearest border crossing into Ukraine. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

The bus carrying more than a dozen Ukrainians makes its way each day the short distance across the Polish border before pulling up outside a fluorescent-lit supermarket on the other side.

With winter coats pulled tight around them, its passengers pile out into the sleet and icy wind and shuffle inside, where they fill shopping bags with discounted vegetables, meat, and cheap clothing.

Among them is Julia, from the town of Mostyska, one of the legions of Ukrainians who make the journey each day into Poland to make a living or buy essential goods for less than what they'd pay at home.

Julia travels from her home in Mostyska, Ukraine, into Poland most days. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

For years, those residing on either side of the border between Poland and Ukraine have shared close ties — by some counts, up to 2 million Ukrainians already call Poland home.

But as Russia appears to teeter closer to an attack on Ukraine, Poland is bracing itself for the possibility of an influx of hundreds of thousands more.

"I think if Polish people say they'll help us, they'll accept us," Julia says, her coat and beanie soaked with rain.

Goods in Poland are generally more affordable than across the border in Ukraine. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

Poland's government says it has readied the country for a possible surge in refugees, writing to town mayors to prepare housing and facilities in advance.

But many have strong doubts that the Russian troop build-up along Ukraine's borders is anything more than a tactic to unsettle Europe and its allies. 

"I don't think it will come to that," says Rostyslav, a Ukrainian barista in the Polish town of Przemyśl, 15 minutes from the border.

Rostyslav is a barista in Przemyśl, 15 minutes from the border. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

Ukrainians in Poland are ready to welcome their countrymen

Others see the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees as a far more pressing scenario and have taken preparations into their own hands.

Last Sunday, Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminiski said the country was preparing for "various scenarios", though he did not expand on what that meant.

Up to 3,000 US troops have arrived in the country in recent days, bolstering defences in the region should the situation deteriorate. American troops have also been assisting with preparations for a potential wave of Ukrainian refugees entering the country.

Inside the headquarters of a Ukrainian community association in downtown Przemyśl, its leader Igor Horkow has plans to convert an ornate theatre into a makeshift dormitory for up to 80 possible Ukrainian refugees.

Igor Horków says the fear of a Russian attack unites Poles and Ukrainians. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

Mr Horkow says despite its age, the history of the building as a centre for Ukrainian culture makes it the perfect place to host weary Ukrainians fleeing war.

What unites Poles and Ukrainians, Mr Horkow says, is among other things a shared peril of Russian attack.

Many in Ukrainian border towns have spent years living under the spectre of Russian attack.  (ABC News: Tom Joyner)

A collection of concrete and metal huts at the border crossing between Poland and Ukraine represents more than the frontier between two neighbouring countries — it is also the line separating NATO member from non-member, as well as the edge of the European Union.

This tension is at the centre of the current diplomatic stand-off and the escalating threat of Russian invasion.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded a guarantee from his Western allies that NATO will not expand to Ukraine, to no avail.  

"For sure in Poland, we feel much safer than in Ukraine," says Rostyslav, the barista in Przemyśl, referring to Poland's long-standing NATO membership.

"It's a very important factor for Poland," Mr Horkow says.

"Ukraine doesn't have that comfort." 

Back at the border crossing, a handful of older Ukrainian women huddle by the side of the road. Among them, there is a sense of weariness at the threat of Russian invasion.

Many have spent years of their lives living under the spectre of Russian attack since Ukraine first claimed independence in 1991. 

They flatly deny a risk of war and instead go about their daily business of selling cigarettes to commuters without attracting the ire of local authorities. 

As he tidies his desk for the end of the day's work, Mr Horkow looks wistfully at the collections of photos and books adorning the walls outside his office.

"It was my grandfather's dream for Ukraine to become a NATO member," he says.

"He didn't live to see it."

Mr Horkow knows he may not either.

For now, those in the border towns are going about daily life. (ABC News: Tom Joyner)
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