The fighting in Ukraine has seen many people leave their homes and head for the western border, and safety, in Poland, but it has not been an easy process.
When SBS News arrived at the queue to cross the Polish border, it was some 40 kilometres inside Ukraine.
What should be a 25-minute drive is now taking Ukrainians days to pass into its western neighbour to seek refuge away from the war and destruction laid bare by Russia since Thursday.
Dismayed by the queue, many people abandoned their vehicles and set off on foot, wanting to cover as much distance as they can before nightfall.
It’s an ordeal but it’s better than the alternative, said one Ukrainian refugee, Dasha, who ditched the car to walk to a new country — and a new home.
“Here, I am not afraid now, I just want to cross the border, to be safe and sound," she told SBS News.
Cars stuck in traffic as families flee the conflict between Ukraine and Poland, some 20km from the border. Source: AFP / AFP/Getty Images
“It’s hard, they [my children] don’t want to walk. I ask people to give her a ride but no one agrees."
Dasha is one of the thousands of women who are making the perilous trek from Ukraine with their children, seeking safety.
Dasha is one of the thousands of Ukrainian women walking to cross the Ukraine-Poland border with her children. Source: SBS News
Most Ukrainian men are not permitted to leave the country as the government's conscription policy has forced them to stay back and fight.
It's estimated almost 500,000 refugees are fleeing Ukraine. Here is where they are headed. Source: SBS News
"It’s a difficult decision, but it is required ... They won’t let me cross, so I will come back," Artem said.
Artem is in the car dropping off his wife and child to Poland before he will return and defend Ukraine as a conscript. Source: SBS News
Ugandan migrant Mercy left her home country and moved to Ukraine for a peaceful life.
Now, in the country she has raised her family after almost a decade, she has had to make the difficult decision to pack up and leave.
"The sound of the bombs, they started at 5am. You wake up and your whole life has changed at that moment, you look at your children, look at yourself and think ‘oh my God,'" she said.
According to the Ukrainian military, convoy supplies are expected to come in from Poland. It means that roads have to be kept clear, forcing the refugees to play a gruelling waiting game on the road.
But not all Ukrainians on their way to Poland intend to start a new life on the other side of the border.
Some, like Irina from Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, are gripping onto any hope that she can turn back around and re-enter her country that has been ravaged under Russia's military presence.
She said she prays that the situation in Ukraine will somehow change.
With new satellite imagery revealing Russian troops are prepared to advance on the Ukraine capital of Kyiv, the.
And with Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering the preparation of nuclear weaponry, the ongoing conflict is not de-escalating.
A Ukrainian family walks towards the Ukraine-Poland border as they flee the conflict in their country. Source: AFP / AFP/Getty Images
When the sun sets, refugees face the calamity of stopping to rest or trekking on as they all endure sub-zero temperature levels during an unforgiving winter.
While some stop for the night, most keep going to join the thousands waiting to be told it’s their turn to leave their country.
