Spanish ties provide safe havens for Ukrainian refugees

By HERNÁN MUÑOZ
Associated Press

GUISSONA, Spain (AP) — Ukrainian refugees fleeing bombs and bullets at home are fanning out across Western Europe. Few places they arrive feel as welcoming as a Spanish town known for years as “Little Ukraine.” One in seven residents of Guissona was originally from there even before Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine last month. More than 3.5 million people have already fled Russia’s war in Ukraine. The refugees are finding safe havens in small communities on the continent where family and friends who went to find work have put down roots. Refugees aren’t just staying with their relatives in Guissona. Familiarity with the Ukrainian community has bred local sympathy for the refugees’ plight and Spaniards are making room for them too.