Ukrainian refugees speak of bombs, half-empty cities, hunger

By SRDJAN NEDELJKOVIC and DAVID KEYTON
Associated Press

MEDYKA, Poland (AP) — Yulia Bondarieva spent 10 days in a basement as Russian planes flew over and bombs were falling on Kharkiv. Having reached safety in Poland, Bondarieva’s only wish now is for her twin sister in the besieged city of Mariupol to get out, too.  The battle in Mariupol continues to rage. Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are fighting block-by-block for control of the city where at least 2,300 people have died, some buried in mass graves. The United Nations says that nearly 3.5 million people have left Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. The flow of refugees has been described as the biggest in Europe since World War II.