Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, strains to accommodate Ukrainian refugees
More than 150,000 displaced Ukrainians now live in Krakow, increasing the population by 20% in just a few weeks. Now the city is helping them find long-term housing, jobs and spots in schools.
KRAKOW, Poland — Galia Alacheva, an art-loving 17-year-old from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, sips tea in a pop-up lunchroom tucked into a shuttered mall.
She and her mother, Sara Tarashchanska, have lived in this mall since fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Polish authorities have converted it into a refugee shelter.
"We eat here, we cook here, we sleep here, we do everything here," Alacheva says. "Since we left Ukraine, this is our home."
