HADLEY — Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge following the Russian invasion of their country are fleeing to Poland daily, some coming with luggage, others with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing, and many leaving behind loved ones, including spouses.
“It’s heartbreaking,” says Paul Kozub, a Hadley resident and founder of Valley Vodka Inc., who since Sunday has been visiting the Poland-Ukraine border with the Rev. Piotr Pawlus, pastor at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Hadley, himself a native of Poland.
What Kozub is observing during his weeklong visit to Poland’s eastern border is a constant movement of buses between the countries, as more Ukrainians arrive to escape their war-torn country.
“Every bus is packed with people,” said Kozub, who gets emotional about the children whose lives are being devastated by the Russian invasion. “That’s what got me, is seeing all of the children.”
Kozub made his first trip to eastern Poland in 2005 upon starting his craft vodka business, and in 2019 he purchased a distillery in Kamien, where most of V-One Vodka is produced.
“This part of Poland has been such an important part of my life,” Kozub said. “It is just a few hours from the Ukrainian border. I feel compelled to do something to help the people of Ukraine.”
One of those ways of assistance has been pledging to give more than $5,000 directly to relief efforts, as well as donating $1 from each V-One bottle sold in March to a fund to support the Ukrainian people.
At the border, Kozub, who said he brought a significant amount of currency with him, began handing out money directly to families, though he said there was some reluctance on their part to accept the gift that he hopes they will be able to use for necessities as they make a new life in Poland.
“They’re a very proud people,” Kozub said of the Ukrainians he has met.
Kozub said traveling about 4,320 miles from western Massachusetts gives him the opportunity to show that the international community supports Ukraine. “First of all, I want them to know people in America, and people around the world, care about them,” Kozub said.
The trip also has given him the chance to learn firsthand the horrors of war, and hear stories of atrocities, such as about some Ukrainians who had been promised safe passage from Kyiv but then were shot by Russian snipers as they departed, he said.
He also witnessed families conversing through video chats with men who are now fighting in the war for Ukraine.
Kozub doesn’t see the situation improving anytime soon. “No one was prepared for this — everything will be worse than they are expecting,” Kozub said.
Yet he also is seeing a good side of world affairs. Poland, some of whose citizens recall experiences during and after World War II, has already accepted more than 1 million refugees, and many are able to find room in peoples’ homes, as well as in churches and schools.
“People have been extremely receptive,” Kozub said, noting that even with the influx of people there is an effort to keep life like normal in cities.
“Polish people have really stepped up to help with what is going on,” Kozub said. “People can come over the border and get assimilated and become citizens.”
Pawlus said the response from Poland has been remarkable.
“We know that there is tremendous evil going on against innocent citizens of Ukraine,” Pawlus said. “At the same time we have seen firsthand the outpouring of love and support from the people of Poland who by the thousands have opened their homes to the refugees.”
Kozub and Pawlus directly helped a 17-year-old Ukrainian girl and two other members of her family by driving them from the border to Lublin, a city he was already familiar with from an orphanage there.
Tents set up by charity organizations provide food and other basics to refugees, while Caritas, a Catholic charity organization, is also involved.
Kozub said he is pleased he can share news about what is happening.
“To me this is a perfect example of good versus bad,” Kozub said. “These people didn’t deserve this, and I felt compelled to go and help.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
