Ukrainian civilians resort to desperate attempts to evacuate war zone

Judy Woodruff:

The city of Zaporizhzhia lies in the southeast of Ukraine along the Dnieper River. It's very close to the front lines and so far remains in Ukrainian hands.

In the early days of the war, fighting at its nuclear power plant put the entire world on edge. Now things have settled down there somewhat, but Zaporizhzhia has become a way station for thousands trying to escape Russian attacks.

Special correspondent Volodymyr Solohub is there for us.

Volodymyr Solohub:

Zaporizhzhia is relatively calm now. But the routine here is anything but routine. The city has become a major logistics center for those fleeing the war in Mariupol and other towns in southeast of Ukraine.

Oleksandr Starukh, Governor of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine (through translator) :

We have evacuated around 112,000 people to central and western parts of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. We serve as a sort of layover hub.

If all of those evacuees stay here — and that's tens of hundreds of thousands of people — it would be very difficult for the city. Most of the evacuees just stay overnight and keep going into Central and Western Ukraine.

Volodymyr Solohub:

This is estate's main layover hub. All those fleeing the horrors of war come to this processing center to get help moving further from the fighting.

And you can see the damage on the cars arriving here. Viktoria was forced to live three weeks in a basement of an apartment building in Mariupol with her 6-year-old daughter, Elisabeta, and two elderly parents. She told us the daily struggle to even cook.

Viktoria Shekhovtsova, Mariupol Evacuee (through translator):

We would put a pot a fire outdoors, add some water, start cooking. When they would start bombing, we would run back into our basement, then come back to see if it's ready.

A lot of young guys helped us with whatever they could. Before the war, you would call that looting. Now it's just some help.

Volodymyr Solohub:

Staying in Mariupol was, of course, very dangerous. But fleeing the city was both dangerous and uncertain, since they didn't have Internet access, and hence the outside world.

Viktoria Shekhovtsova (through translator)

Some people left at 4:00 a.m., packed their cars and drove. Some didn't make it and were turned back. There were no evacuation buses whatsoever.

Volodymyr Solohub:

And while the worst is behind Viktoria and her family, their future is uncertain. As she walks into this welcome center, she says she's not really sure what's next for her.

For many, the road from Mariupol and other besieged cities in Eastern Ukraine took days before finally reaching this parking lot of a hardware store on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia.

And, inside, they can get some clothing for those who had very little time to pack before fleeing the war. And, here, they're being greeted by the volunteers and social workers. They can get some food and hot drinks, and, for the first time, feel some sort of normality.

They arrive here with children, pets, and the few belongings they could take with them. Many are confused, frightened, and not sure what to do next. But all of them ask the same question: Why did this happen to their city?

Oleksandr Starukh (through translator):

One of the main problems of Mariupol, according to both the experts and those who fled the city, is the absence of air defense systems.

If they had a proper air defense, Russians wouldn't be dropping 1,000-pound bombs on civilian objects. Zaporizhzhia also needs a proper air defense system. This will protect both our civilian objects and chemical plants and other dangerous facilities.

Volodymyr Solohub:

We discussed the need for more air defense systems with a Ukrainian fighter jet pilot, his location, face, and real name could not be disclosed. He asked us to refer to him by his call sign, Juice.

Juice, Ukrainian Air Force Pilot:

Right now, we need some Soviet systems from our allies, like S-300, BUK system, which are mastered by our crews. Every day, we are losing our systems. Russians are hunting our SAMs, our ground-to-air missiles.

So, every day, we need more and more and more. We need to close the sky above our cities, above large infrastructure like nuclear power stations, et cetera.

Volodymyr Solohub:

How big of a game-changer that would be if Ukraine was to receive these types of weapons?

Juice:

We have a lot of advantages in land forces. We have a lot of good tanks, anti-tank missile systems, and other systems on the ground. But, in the air, unfortunately, we are not able to fight efficiently.

Volodymyr Solohub:

And while Ukraine is waiting for more air defenses systems, people from Mariupol and other towns and cities in Southeastern Ukraine continue living the horrors of war, whether in the basements of their homes or making the death-defying journey to safety.

For the "PBS NewsHour" I'm Volodymyr Solohub in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Judy Woodruff:

And a note: Our coverage of the war in Ukraine is supported in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.