The UN is warning the situation in Ukraine could become Europe's "largest refugee crisis this century".
Makeshift refugee camps are emerging all over Poland - with the very best of humanity on display - as more than 600,000 Ukrainians are welcomed with open arms.
It is confronting in its scale - and scary that it's needed. It looks like the scene of a disaster zone with emergency provisions at the ready.
But look a little closer and what you find is the power of humanity.
Home-cooked meals are devoured by hungry newcomers who are resting, recovering and refuelling.
Firefighters sport their new stuffed toy accessories.
"We give the children a teddy bear and a lot of children are smiling now," one said.
Children run around play-fighting as if they haven’t already experienced enough to last a lifetime.
And keep an eye out for the cardboard signs because around these parts, it is a currency for kindness - a voucher for shelter or for transport.
Strangers greet busloads of refugees with offers to take them to all corners of Europe.
"We have to help them with everything we have," Chris from Germany said.
It is gratefully received and snapped up in an instant.
One woman is off to rebuild her life in the Czech Republic while the memory of her old one is still raw.
And no one was more grateful this afternoon than those arriving in Poland - after Russian warnings went out to evacuate Kyiv.
Passengers on the first train west out of the capital were feverish with relief.
But just one platform over and the smiles were gone, replaced by stoic faces. Because these days the only tickets sold east belong to the men of the war.
Their bags are packed but the call to duty is loud.
"All okay", one man signals to his mother. Who offers a worried wave in return.
And while his ticket home is not promised, the Ukrainian hope - lives on.
