LVIV, Ukraine, March 3 (Xinhua) -- "I hope it could be over soon, and my baby will be born in peaceful time," Nadia Pletenna, a local mother-to-be in Lviv, told Xinhua in a shelter of Ukrainian Catholic University.
Pletenna, who is expected to deliver her child in late March, was resting on a couch with her husband amidst a group of students and volunteers. A short while ago, they were outside arranging and packing supplies for displaced people when an air raid siren pierced the air in this westernmost Ukrainian city.
The ongoing conflicts have displaced numerous people. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, an estimated 4 million people may flee Ukraine in the coming weeks and months.
While many fled Kiev and used Lviv as a conduit for safety, those who stayed and local residents were quickly adapting to the massive upheavals.
There was an almost peaceful atmosphere in the university's underground shelter. A white-haired lady was on a chair in the corner, absorbed in a book. A girl was holding a plate, finishing her last bite of food. And yet many other young people were sitting or lying on the floor, with their eyes fixed on cell phone screens.
Classes have been suspended on campus since the conflicts intensified. As a university staff member, Pletenna has been helping distribute supplies.
Though somewhat disturbed by the loud blaring sound of the sirens, she touched her belly and was cheered at the thought of herself becoming a mother. She said her name, Nadia, means hope, and she hopes that the fighting will stop and life return to normal.
Supermarkets and pharmacies remain open, but some restaurants and shopping centers are closed. Vladysav Rozental, a young man from Kiev, walked in a Thai restaurant.
He is a logistics manager sheltering in Lviv after businesses of his company came to a stop due to the conflicts.
The 24-year-old planned to be reunited in Lviv with his girlfriend, who was leaving the capital city. With his eyes shining with happiness, he showed Xinhua photos of his beloved one.
"Lviv is a very good city to live," he said, expressing hope that the conflicts "can be over as fast as possible." While waiting for the end of the fighting, he said he wants to write a romance during his stay in Lviv.
After Russia and Ukraine concluded their first round of negotiations in Belarus on Monday with no clear breakthrough, the second round of talks are expected to be held on the Belarus-Poland border soon.
For many civilians in Lviv, lending a helping hand to each other is the best way to spread hope.
Lviv National Art Gallery has been turned into a temporary site for supply donation and distribution.
Serhii Hirilovich, a mobile game developer, contributed some clothes and diapers. "I want to help people," he said.
A few days ago, he drove to the border and sent his wife and children to Poland. He voiced hope that peace will be restored. "I want peace, and I hope my wife and children will be back home."
Alina, who came from Kiev and did not give her surname, has been donating food at the site everyday, while her child has been a volunteer. "We will be home," she said. ■
