Look for the orange vest: Ukrainians in Romania help others

By CHISATO TANAKA
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Elena Trofimchuk fled Ukraine to Romania more than a month ago. She now sees Bucharest’s North Railway Station as her second home. She doesn’t live there. But it’s where she spends most of her day welcoming fellow Ukrainians and helping them sort out tickets, accommodation and onward destinations. The 26-year-old said keeping herself useful keeps her from dwelling on Russia’s shelling of her hometown, Odesa, where many of her friends still remain. Plus there is a great need for translators for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled to Romania. She is just one of the many Ukrainian volunteers helping new refugees sort out their lives after the trauma of fleeing the war.