HUSP | Help Ukraine Support People

Valentine (Lviv)

Greetings! A lot has changed in Lviv during the war, and I want to tell you what is happening in my city, where I live.

I'll start with the general. Everyone here feels that the city has a lot of fuss and a depressed atmosphere. Many refugees from all over Ukraine come here, there are traffic jams on the streets, very few parking spaces and crowds of people. Checkpoints have been set up at the entrance to the city, and the streets are patrolled by the military. Also in Lviv, mobile communications have deteriorated.

The prices of food products, gasoline, housing, and in general everything that costs money have risen.

It is very difficult for refugees to find accommodation or a hotel to stay in as a city became overflowed since first days of war. People are also accommodated in schools, sports facilities and wherever possible. Renting an apartment is very difficult now. Landlords raise prices by half knowing that people are in a hopeless situation. But there are also people who are willing to accept refugees in their homes for free or for a small price. A lot of humanitarian cargo comes to Lviv and people are able to get food for free. In shopping centers, I have seen tables with food products where anyone could take what they needed.

The situation with work and leisure is also difficult. Due to the severe economic crisis and the lack of food supplies, people are closing their businesses. People can't pay rent, and the population's priorities have changed. Our work and business are closely connected with the central and southern parts of Ukraine, but as you know, now there are war activities. I am also experiencing difficulties with work, as all production has stopped.

There are also problems with the banking system. People are withdrawing money en masse. But many ATMs are offline, many bank branches are closed, and applications have regular bugs. There are situations that you can't even put money on the card or withdraw it.

And in conclusion, I want to say that all people really hope that this horror will end soon because everyone is mentally tired.

We do not have military operations, only sometimes there are rocket attacks at military facilities. So we hope for the best.

Valentine Olga Lviv