Over the course of a month, they crammed over 2,000 women, children, the elderly and the vulnerable, plus their belongings, from dogs to strollers, into their small boats. They also brought more than 70 tons of humanitarian aid back with them and distributed it in the occupied villages. Each trip was a dangerous venture almost worthy of a Hollywood movie. By the time they started making the journeys in mid-March, the river had frozen over and they had to break the ice with shovels to advance. Falling in or getting stuck would mean almost certain death. This meant that only fishermen, experts on the river, could attempt the routes. “I grew up near the water, I know every nook and cranny,” said Mr. Dvorianec, who did most of the evacuations. Then there was the threat of being discovered by the Russians. “It’s a big open body of water, so there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. They were fired upon a few times, but fortunately no casualties were suffered. After the first near miss they decided to find another route and zigzag across the water to cover their tracks.
