Operation Blessing leaves Poland to help Ukrainian refugees as Russia escalates attacks

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (WAVY) – Operation Blessing’s international disaster relief team will fly to Poland on Wednesday to help Ukrainian refugees.

The team will get supplies from their Chesapeake inventory. Supplies include water filters, solar lights and personal care kits. The disaster relief team is expected to arrive in Poland on Thursday.

The plan is to establish an emergency camp and infirmary on the border of Poland and Ukraine. About 50,000 people are expected to arrive at the border each day.

Non-profit organization already have teams on the ground in Kiev and Krasnohorivka. Since Russia invaded the country last week, teams have been handing out food, water and generators.

This week, Russia is escalating its attacks on crowded cities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is called the latest attack “a flagrant campaign of terror and war crime.“

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s second-largest city saw an increase in Russian artillery attacks. Ukrainian leaders say five people were killed in an attack on a TV tower near Kyiv. The death toll is unclear, but the United Nations Office for Human Rights recently reported at least 136 people have died. About 660,000 people have left Ukraine, while others have taken shelter underground.

10 On Your Side’s Jon Dowding will present the departure of Operation Blessing. Look for his full report on WAVY News 10 at midday.