Married to Tanya, a Ukrainian lawyer practising in Luxembourg, Julien Doussot managed to mobilise his network to pick up relatives at the border of Poland and Ukraine. "Many people offered to help. In a few days, with my associates, we created a structure to legitimise our approach,” explains Doussot, who is busy finalising the last details of his trip. Departure is scheduled for Wednesday morning, 2 March, at 6am.
With family in Kiev, Julien and Tanya have done everything to help their loved ones cross the border so that they can travel to collect them. Since the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they have been on the phone to reassure and guide them as they flee the fighting. "For the moment, we are going to pick up 21 people: couples, and women with children. But that can change," Doussot says, explaining that he has not managed to get many of his wife’s relatives across. "My mother-in-law is going to stay in Ukraine and my brother-in-law has left to defend his country. In the end, I will get some relatives back, but no direct members of my own family," he sighs.
Helping people is part of the company's DNA. Our drivers were also quick to respond to the call.
Sales-Lentz provides a bus
Luxembourg travel operator Sales-Lentz agreed to provide a coach with drivers. "Marc Sales passed the request on to us. With Georges Hilbert, general manager, we immediately responded to help in our own way these people who are in great difficulty. Helping people is part of the company's DNA. Our drivers were also very quick to respond to the call. The bus is being prepared and we have a second bus ready to deal with any unforeseen events," says Xavier Kieffer, sales and marketing director of Sales Lentz.
"Initially we were asked for two minibuses, but we preferred to provide a large travel bus with 44 seats. The aim is to offer some comfort to people who have certainly experienced horror," Kieffer emphasises.
We will need help and probably donations, because the people we are going to collect have nothing left.
"We're shopping for food and drink in a bit of a hurry. We are doing the same thing with the pharmacies: we are going to buy what we can, because there again the procedures are rather slow to ask for their help through the normal channels", explains Doussot, who is finishing the website of his brand new association Slava Ukrayini Luxembourg.
At the same time, he has managed to find people willing to house the families. "This is only temporary. This will be the second phase of the initiative: to see what we can do with other associations and the different ministries in terms of housing. This is also why we have created this association. We will need help and probably donations, because the people we are going to collect have nothing left. I have already had a lot of contact with people who want to help. With the creation of this association, which has only been in existence for 12 hours, we want to formalise all this," he says. "I live in Hesperange and I was able to talk to the mayor, Marc Lies. He will see what he can do.”
Six days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations (UN) estimates that 1 million people have been displaced within the country, fleeing the danger of the fighting. Some 660,000 refugees have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the past six days, according to the latest government data compiled by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
This article was originally published on and has been translated and edited for Delano.