At the Palanca border crossing in Moldova, thousands of Ukrainians are arriving every day to escape the fighting in the south of Ukraine. Since the war began, more than 230,000 refugees (as of March 8) have arrived in this small country of 2.6 million people. Less than half of them have stayed in the country.
Those arriving in Palanca are mainly from Mykolaïv, a blockaded town 130 kilometres east of Odessa, and a target of intense bombing. Entire families - mainly women, children and the elderly - often wait several hours in sub-zero temperatures and wind before being allowed to cross the border. Volunteers welcome them with tea and food, and some tents to shelter them from the wind.