"They're so young": Residents of Ukrainian orphanage flee to safety

A group of children evacuated from an orphanage in Zaporizhzhia wait to board a bus for their transfer to Poland after fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

More than 200 children evacuated from an orphanage in Ukraine's conflict zone arrived in the western city of Lviv on Saturday after a 24-hour train journey with their carers.

The 215 children, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, left their orphanage in Zaporizhzhia, in southeast Ukraine, on the day Russian troops attacked a nearby nuclear power station.

A group of children evacuated from an orphanage in Zaporizhzhia wait to board a bus for their transfer to Poland after fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

"My heart is being torn apart," said Olha Kucher, director of the Zaporizhzhia Central Christian Orphanage. Then she started sobbing. "I'm sorry . . . I simply lack words. And I feel so sorry for these children. They're so young."

As night fell and the temperature plunged, the children waited patiently on a platform at Lviv train station, the older ones looking after the young, while orphanage staff carefully counted them all.

The very young clutched cuddly toys. None of the children cried or complained.

A group of children evacuated from an orphanage in Zaporizhzhia wait to board a bus for their transfer to Poland after fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Vladimir Kovtun, 16, said he felt safe now. "It is terrifying to stay in Zaporizhzhia when air raid sirens go off and we must constantly hide in the basement."

Wide-eyed and hand in hand, the children were led through a ticket hall mobbed with other Ukrainians. More than 65,000 refugees passed through the station on Friday alone, according to Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy.

Then, as snow began to fall, the children boarded a fleet of buses bound for their new home in neighbouring Poland.

A group of children evacuated from an orphanage in Zaporizhzhia wait to board a bus for their transfer to Poland after fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

It would be several hours before they crossed the border. For Kucher, the orphanage director, the prospect of safety for her children after so fraught a journey unleashed a mix of emotions: sadness, relief and rage.

"We don't want to leave Ukraine - we love it," she said. "But unfortunately we must leave."

As the last of the children climbed on the buses, Kucher added: "Putin is simply killing people . . . I don't understand why the Russian people can't believe that we're being bombarded - that we and our children are being killed."

Children, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

(Reporting by Andrew R.C. Marshall; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Kostya, 12, Kiril, 9, Lionia, 12, and Pietia, 11, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, lie on mattresses at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Children, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sit on a mattress at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Vitaly, 5 years old, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, looks on while eating breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Sonia, 8 years old, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, looks on as she eats breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Children, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are seen at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

A girl, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is reflected in the TV screen in a room at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Children, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are reflected in mirrors during breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Varvara, 2 years old, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, looks on as she eats breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Children, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, clean the room at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland March 5, 2022. Picture taken March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel