"People must understand we are normal people. Ukraine is a normal country. Russians came to us without any reason and that is why our people fight so well, we fight for our land." These are the words of Julia, a young mother who had to flee embattled Ukraine with her 5-year-old daughter, Maria.

Julia and Maria are two out of 97 Ukrainian citizens who are currently being accommodated in Kuşadası, a famous resort center on Turkey’s Aegean shores. It was a rescue effort fit for a Hollywood blockbuster – except those involved were real-life innocent victims of an invasion by a neighboring country and not well-paid movie stars. So how did they manage to escape?

Local activist and tour operator

Settling in Turkey 16 years ago, Olena Burgaç is now the deputy chairperson of the Ukrainian Cultural Union of Kuşadası and an executive committee member of the 16-person-strong City Council (Kent Konseyi). With her Ukrainian-Turkish family background, she is the best person in Turkey to turn to if you want to help on the ground in Ukraine.

A well-known tour operator, who in the past cooperated with Ukrainian partners to bring Ukrainian tourists to Turkey, told Burgaç they had arranged for 120 refugees to fly to Turkey from Moldova. A rescue operation had been underway with sponsored buses in various points near Kyiv to bring them across the border to Moldova. In the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, an empty plane had been sitting idle on the tarmac as its original plan to fly tourists into Ukraine from a third country had been thwarted on the same night the Russian invasion began. And thus, two Ukrainian and one local tour operator swung into humanitarian action.

Olena heard that the group was mostly comprised of women and children and a few elderly couples. Flying into Izmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport, 23 of the traumatized passengers decided to continue on to other countries; yet, 97 opted for a safe haven in friendly Turkey.

In an effort that can be considered an admirable example of saving innocent lives, two hotels offered their rooms free of charge except for a minimal fee for the utility bill. This offer included free breakfast and hot beverages all day long. With her good contacts, Olena then managed to arrange luncheons and dinners paid for by the town hall and had them delivered to the hotels located in the center of the city.

Olena had already laid the groundwork to prepare the community and the town hall to extend a helping hand by inviting journalists to an event organized to create awareness. This effort was of course duly noted by local politicians as well. The aim of the event was to paint a real picture of the war and not relay the fake propaganda news circulating from Moscow’s side.

Besides, donations from the public were also requested, including from the city’s huge expatriate community, who joined in with their neighbors even before the refugees touched down in Izmir.

"We collected food, clothing, baby items, toys, blankets and more. Not to forget much-needed medicines! The town hall runs a drop-off point outside its building and people continue to donate generously," she said.

When asked about how the donations would reach their final destination, Olena said that once the items leave the resort, they are transported by trucks provided by the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara.

‘They feel like tourists’

The trauma they faced can hardly be described in words. They left everything they had behind – husbands, parents, children, colleagues, neighbors; they had good jobs or were studying. Olena said, "They crushed their lives." No further comment is needed after this statement.

But at the same time, the hosts and their guests must face reality and move on. There are two opposing scenarios. On the one hand, everyone hopes the war ends soon and those forced to flee are able to return to their loved ones and homeland to help rebuild it. On the other hand, even if a cease-fire is agreed upon between Kyiv and Moscow, the situation might deteriorate once more and returning could pose a risk to the refugees’ safety.

One refugee said they felt like tourists, as they have no health insurance or work permits but are just staying here, as grateful as they are. Hence, the town hall went one step further and arranged the means through which at least some of the women could restart their professional lives remotely. Julia is an English teacher, and a few others in her group work online and are not able to reconnect with their students or customers, as many had contacts in various countries. But according to Olena, this is not enough. She thinks that at some point the government should consider offering temporary work options for the refugees. It would lift them from the figuratively speaking "tourist status" to a paid-for-work status, significantly boosting their shattered self-esteem.

At present, health care is being provided free of charge by a local doctor, but only for the initial treatment. One young woman is four months into her pregnancy; others may have health matters arise in the future. Besides, there is of course the question of pocket money as they all came with basically nothing except for a small suitcase or bag with hastily packed clothing.

‘We have no problems with Russia’

Originally hailing from a suburb of the capital Kyiv, Julia went on to say that her decision to join the rescue operation was extremely difficult. Leaving family, including her grandparents, behind was the price to pay for bringing Maria, her daughter, to safety. Anyone who has ever made a similar decision would know it is impossible to continue living as if everything is normal.

But her spirits seem unbroken. She wants to go back as soon as possible and said that Ukrainians had no ill feelings toward Russia. They are just defending their country now that Russia has attacked.

She also explained that those who suffered most are children. Kids will now play war games, Ukraine versus Russia, as that's all they hear their mothers talking about or on the news. The kids are traumatized and so are their mothers.

Julia concluded by saying that every time she hears a police siren or shouts, she panics, her mind returning to the past few weeks when bombs fell on her city.

Olena showed me around both hotels. When we crossed the street, I spotted a huge manhole covered with metal bars. Every time a vehicle passed over it, it sounded like something big was breaking or being demolished. She told me that the children from Ukraine were afraid of crossing the street from one hotel to the other as the sound brings back memories of Russian attacks, bombs and terror.

Mr. President – end this war

This article is about the human dimension of an unjust and illegal invasion. It was not about analyzing military movements or strategic options. Those issues are for other articles. This contribution was about trying to lend a hand to people under immense stress and to draw attention to those who have been left traumatized. And it was about paying respect to local organizers who have selflessly supported the 97 refugees. Let them return home one day having seen that international solidarity works. Let them return soon to their loved ones. Russian President Vladimir Putin, you started this war – end it, now!

(Disclaimer: The real names of the hotels and tour operators are known to the author of this article, but it was decided not to feature them as they prefer to do good for society and do not see their involvement as public relations efforts, a laudable approach that merits respect.)