(21 Mar 2022) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4371794
As thousands of people continued to cross from Ukraine into Poland on Sunday, a special guest was on hand to welcome youngsters into the country.
At the Medyka border crossing, children were greeted by Santa Claus, who gave out gifts to young people who had been forced to leave their homes due to the fighting.
The man behind the idea, Chris Gural, said he wanted to give the youngsters something to smile about and to distract them from the thoughts of the war.
"I want to give them five or ten minutes, maybe 30 minutes, to smile and think about the toys," he said. "Not about the war."
More than 2 million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict.
The fighting has led to nearly 3. 4 million people fleeing Ukraine, according to U.N. estimates.
People continue to flee the country, with authorities in the Ukrainian besieged city of Mariupol saying Sunday that nearly 40,000 people had left the city in the last week, the vast majority in their own vehicles.
Jorge Galindo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration in Poland, said his team were preparing for "larger surges " of people coming to the border.
U.N. bodies have confirmed more than 847 civilian deaths since the war began, though they concede the actual toll is likely much higher.
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