Russia wants to 'provoke more civilian casualties': Civil rights attorney
Oleksandra Matviychuck speaks out on the evidence of 'war crimes' she's collecting in Ukraine on 'America's Newsroom.'
Images coming in from Ukraine's western borders showing streams of people desperately leaving their beloved country behind and trudging their way into safer havens such as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are tugging at Americans' heartstrings — and bringing a vivid and stark awareness of the humanitarian toll that Russia's attacks on Ukraine are taking on innocent civilians.
"The Russian military is targeting civilians deliberately, to place pressure on Zelenskyy to capitulate," Rebekah Koffler, author of "Putin's Playbook," told Fox News Digital.
And these people are the lucky ones, tragically.
Many Ukrainians already have been killed in their country by invading Russians, according to multiple reports, images and video.
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A photojournalist shared the images you see in this article with Fox News Digital exclusively.
He has been on the western border of Ukraine capturing the up-close and personal struggles of Ukrainian families — mostly women and children — as they seek refuge after the war brutally chased them out of their homes.
This photo taken on March 7, 2022, at the Ukraine-Hungary border shows people streaming off a train and carrying whatever they could grab from their homes in Ukraine. This was in Záhony, Hungary, at the Záhony border station — as Russia launched a full-scale military operation in Ukraine. (Francesco Malavolta)
The numbers are startling: On Tuesday, March 8, the head of the United Nation's refugee agency said the number of people fleeing Ukraine has now reached 2 million or more.
As many of 1 million of these refugees are said to be children.
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In addition, Filippo Grandi — the refugee agency head — warned that the second wave of refugees is likely to be in even more danger than the first wave of individuals were.
This photo captures a family of refugees from Ukraine arriving at the border in Hrebenne, Poland, on March 3, 2022, amid the Russian forces' attacks on Ukraine; this image was also taken by photojournalist Francesco Malavolta and shared with Fox News Digital exclusively. (Francesco Malavolta)
"The amount and the level of atrocities being committed against innocent Ukrainians by the Russians right now is just outrageous and completely unacceptable," Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer and author of "Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America," told Fox News Digital on Tuesday afternoon.
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Below as well is yet another heartbreaking image as a result of the Russia war on Ukraine.
In Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, on March 6, 2022, two Ukrainians are shown embracing as they reunite at the Vysne Nemecke border after Russia launched a full-scale military operation on their country of Ukraine. (Francesco Malavolta)
Koffler also told Fox News Digital, "For [the city of] Kyiv, it's going to be a very brutal few weeks ahead. Yes, Ukrainians are being tremendous and showing a tremendous will to fight, and yes, Zelenskyy has been an incredible hero ... Obviously our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people." She added that there's a very high risk of miscalculation in the days and weeks ahead.
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She said as well, "The Russian military is targeting civilians deliberately, to place pressure on Zelenskyy to capitulate, by inflicting the intolerable level of suffering on Ukrainian people. Putin is banking on Zelenskyy to flinch and give up the fight, so the suffering ends. This is an intentional strategy."
One of the most memorable images to date from the border shows how mothers from other countries are doing their part to help struggling Ukrainian moms who are in transit and fleeing for their lives during this tragedy.
In this image taken by Francesco Malavolta, a row of strollers is shown at a train station in Przemysl, Poland. Caring Polish moms and others have been making these fully outfitted strollers available for Ukrainian moms who are coming over the border during the Russian attacks on Ukraine. (Francesco Malavolta)
On International Women's Day — March 8, 2022 — it's worth pausing for an extra beat on that one to consider how people who don't even know each other, people who never met and likely never will, are reaching out to others in need.
See also this tweet, below, from Filippo Grandi about the current number of refugees.
And as one person commented on these stunning numbers: "Heartbreaking. WHY is the world watching as if in slow motion?!!!"
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The same person added, "WHY can’t the powers that be doing more to help these people?"
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