Narrow escape: Family of five arrives in Poland after deadly shelling attack on Kherson

The weight of war is taking a toll.

On Thursday afternoon, a busload of Ukrainians pulled into the parking lot of an old shopping mall in Przemyśl, now a temporary shelter for refugees.

Dmytro arrived with his wife and three children: 11, 10 and 11 months old.

The family’s breaking point came Tuesday when Russians shelled a bus stop in Kherson, killing six people.

Dmytro and his wife were on a bus metres away. A piece of shrapnel grazed his jacket.

“It was an easy decision to leave everything behind because there is nothing more important than my children's safety," he said.

As he does everything he can to protect them, Dmytro carries deep wounds after being abducted by Russian forces for a month.

He believes he was targeted because he served in the military.

“There was torture and beatings. It was difficult hearing people screaming and not being to help them,” he said.

At the shelter, there is everything from psychiatric support to food and clothing, along with 300 beds. People are allowed to stay for 48 hours.

Thursday, it reached capacity. The Polish Red Cross says it will help refugees find a place to stay elsewhere if needed -- no one will end up in the streets.

“Due to the first anniversary of the war, we see more people coming right now. They're afraid there will be some kind of bombings in Ukraine so they're trying to find space for now, said Anna Miśniak, Chief Coordinator of the Refugee Centre. “There are no big differences between a year ago and now, because people are still dying. They still need help. People are coming with big traumas. We want the world to know it's not the end of the war.”

Located 10 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, Przemyśl was the starting point for the grueling journey ahead for millions of refugees over the past year.

At the start of the war, the city of 6,000 was flooded with the arrival of 50,000 people every day, mainly by train.

A scenario its mayor had no playbook for.

“When we opened that plan on the first day, we saw something like ‘when three or four thousand people cross the city,’” said Wojciech Bakun. “So no one imagined that tragedy would be as huge as it was.”

As for Dmytro and his family, he doesn't know where they will end up.

His youngest, Konstantin, turns one Friday. For his birthday, they will celebrate being together.

They are now safe, but far from feeling at peace.