Clowns Spotted at Ukraine's Border Making Refugee Children Smile in 'Universal Language' of Laughter

Photo: Michael Nigro/Getty

Dressed in colorful clothes and goofy hats, clowns are greeting kids with hugs, smiles, balloons and candy as they cross Ukraine’s border into Moldova to escape the violence ofRussia’s ongoing invasion.

Members of theDream Doctors Project, a group of professional Israeli medical clowns founded in 2002, arrived in the Chisinau, Moldova, on aweek-long mission to make people laughas they complete what can be afrightening and heartbreaking journeyout of war-torn Ukraine.

Nearly3 million refugeeshave fled the country since Russia’s invasion began Feb. 24, the United Nations says. About half are children.

“Their work is invaluable,” he wrote on Twitter of the Dream Doctors, who state on theorganization’s websitethat they’re “providing vital trauma intervention and innovative therapeutic clowning techniques to children and adults who were forced to flee their homes.”

Michael Nigro/Getty

The group says its members are both “multi-talented artists” and “highly skilled members of medical teams” that operate in Israeli hospitals and on “humanitarian relief missions to disaster zones around the world.”

The Dream Doctors handed out toys, hand warmers, socks and blankets at one border, according to Kimmel, who shared video of a clown juggling under snowfall for weary travelers.

At a temporary refugee camp at an expo center, clowns “Slinky,” “Buzz” and “Shemesh” gave a young boy a big hug and made him smile with their goofy, gag-filled greeting.

Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion last month — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukraine PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.

“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”

source: people.com