Less than three years ago Manny Marotta was graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. Fast forward to 2022 and he found himself in the middle of a foreign invasion in the heart of Europe.
Marotta is an independent journalist who decided to travel to Ukraine in February to cover the conflict happening in the eastern block of the country. As a Russian invasion became more likely, he relocated from the capital in Kyiv to Lviv in the country’s western region.
On February 25, tweeting under the account @UkraineLive2022, Marotta explained that he just finished walking over 40 miles from Ukraine to Poland, joined by thousands of refugees.
Long story short: I just walked to Poland.
— Ukraine Conflict Live 2022 (@UkraineLive2022) February 25, 2022
It was a hellish 20-hour journey undertaken in the middle of winter with thousands of refugees. I saw some terrible things:
He described vehicles backed up for miles, people abandoning them and joining those on foot. In one tweet, Marotta described the reality families were facing; husbands and fathers told to stay behind and fight while sending their wives and children to another country.
“A woman screamed for the army to spare her husband from conscription,” one tweet read. “A soldier slapped her and took her husband. Things seem really desperate.”
Upon arriving in Poland, a welcome committee greeted Marotta and the refugees with tea.
“It was amazing tea,” he said.
Last thing: this was my view as I crossed into Poland at 7:01 AM local time this morning. I feel that it was a welcome gift from nature. I’m so inconsolably happy to be in the EU. pic.twitter.com/yIrK4YBAHB
— Ukraine Conflict Live 2022 (@UkraineLive2022) February 25, 2022
Marotta is now back in America sharing his experience.
