An African medical student told CNN that she and other foreigners had been ordered to get off a public transport bus at a checkpoint between the Ukraine-Poland border.
They were told to stay away while the bus left with only Ukrainian citizens on board, she said.
Rachel Onigbule, Nigeria’s first year in medicine in Lviv, remained stranded in the border town of Shehini, about 400 miles from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
She told CNN: “More than 10 buses came and we all watched them leave. We thought that after they took all the Ukrainians they would take us, but they told us that we had to walk, that there were no more buses and they told us to walk. “
“My body was numb from the cold and we haven’t slept for about 4 days. Ukrainians have given priority to Africans – men and women – at all times. No need to ask why. We know why. I just want to go home, “Oniegbule told CNN in a phone call Sunday as he waited in line at the border to cross into Poland.
Onyegbule says she eventually received a stamp of her release document Monday morning around 4:30 p.m.
Charges of violence
Saakshi Ijantkar, a fourth-year medical student from India, also shared his test with CNN on Monday over a phone call from Lviv, western Ukraine.
“There are three checkpoints we have to go through to get to the border. Many people are blocked there. They do not allow the Indians to pass.
CNN was unable to confirm the identity or affiliation of the people who ran the checkpoints, but Ijantkar said they were all in uniform.
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They allow 30 Indians only after 500 Ukrainians enter. To reach this limit you have to walk 4 to 5 kilometers from the first point to the second. Ukrainians are given taxis and buses to travel, all other nationalities must walk. They were very racist towards Indians and other nationalities, “the 22-year-old from Mumbai told CNN.
She added that she had witnessed security violence against students waiting on the Ukrainian side of the Shekhini-Medica border.
Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are no longer allowed to leave the country, but this decree does not apply to men who are foreign nationals.
Ijantkar says she has seen Indians queuing for hours with other non-Ukrainian nationalities.
“They were very cruel. The second checkpoint was the worst. When they opened the gate to cross the Ukrainian border, staying between Ukraine and Poland, the Ukrainian army did not allow Indian men and boys to cross when you got there. They only allowed the Indians to enter. We literally had to cry and pray at their feet. After the Indians entered, the boys were beaten. “There was no reason to beat us with this cruelty,” Ijantkar said.
“I saw an Egyptian standing in front with his hands on the rails, and that’s why one of the guards pushed him so hard, and the man hit the fence, which is covered with spikes, and he lost consciousness,” she said. .
“We took him outside to resuscitate him. They just didn’t care and beat the students, they didn’t call us, only the Ukrainians,” she added.
CNN contacted the Ukrainian military in light of allegations of violence, but did not receive an immediate response.
Freezing conditions
Iyantkar said many of the students had waited at least a day, but she eventually returned to Lviv because she was terrified of waiting at low temperatures without food, water or blankets.
“I saw people shaking so badly in the cold, fainting from hypothermia. Some have frostbite and blisters. We couldn’t get any help and (stayed) for hours, “she said.
Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s border service, told CNN on Monday that allegations of border segregation were false and that security guards were working under enormous pressure at the borders but working within the law.
“Since the day (Russian President Vladimir) Putin attacked Ukraine, the influx of people trying to leave Ukraine and the war zone has increased dramatically. up to 50,000 (people) per day, now the amount has doubled and continues to grow. There is a huge pressure on checkpoints, on border guards.
“In order to speed up the process and allow more people to cross, the government has simplified the border crossing procedure as much as possible. Due to the increase in the volume of passage of individuals, people have to stay longer. queues. However, I can say that everything happens according to the law. At the border, there is absolutely no division by nation, citizenship or class, “Demchenko said.
Ukraine attracts many foreign students who want to study medicine because it has a strong reputation for medical courses and training – and other costs are much lower than in programs in other Western countries.
Another blocked student told CNN on Sunday that border guards on the Ukrainian side of the border were showing prejudice against foreign students.
“They are depriving foreigners. They are very racist with us at the border. We are told that Ukrainian citizens must cross first while telling foreigners to stay,” said Nneka Abigail, a 23-year-old medical student from Nigeria.
“It is very difficult for Nigerians and other foreigners to cross at the moment. Ukrainian authorities allow more Ukrainians to cross into Poland. For example, about 200 to 300 Ukrainians can cross, and then only 10 foreigners or 5 will be allowed to cross … and the length of time is too long. It’s really hard … they push us, they kick us, they insult us, “Abigail said.
Africans share their experiences online using the hashtag #AfricansinUkraine. Their stories sparked protests and a number of calls for group funding were launched to try to help those stranded in the country.
One of those who shared her story online was Korrine Sky, a medical student from Zimbabwe who has been studying in Ukraine since September.
She fled the country on Friday, but with the help of two London-based friends, she managed to raise more than 20,000 British pounds ($ 26,800) to help stranded African-Caribbean students.
“This situation we are in is a life or death situation. We need to make sure that all African students cross the border successfully and safely, “she said on Instagram Live on the Romanian side of the border on Sunday.
Are home countries doing enough to help their citizens?
Some of those interviewed by CNN said they did not accuse the Ukrainian authorities of giving priority to their citizens, but rather of their own governments, for failing to take steps to help them leave the country.
“The Nigerian government is usually carefree,” Oniegbule said.
“There are a lot of us in Ukraine. They can’t just leave us like that. It’s so sad, but we’re used to bad governance in Nigeria. It’s very sad.”
Onyegbule acknowledged that there are Nigerian officials waiting to meet with her and others after she moves to Poland.
“It would be so useful in Ukraine that we were looking for someone to speak on our behalf.”
Nigerian Foreign Minister Jeffrey Onyama said on Twitter that Ukrainian authorities had assured him that there were no restrictions on foreigners wishing to leave Ukraine.
“The problem is a result of the chaos at the border and the checkpoints leading to them,” he said, adding that he “personally coordinates with our missions in Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Romania and Hungary to ensure that we bring our citizens of Ukraine and return to Nigeria those who are ready to return, while supporting those who remain in Ukraine. “
CNN contacted Onyeama for comment on allegations that the Nigerian government had not done enough to help its citizens leave Ukraine.
African nations at the UN Security Council on Monday condemned discrimination against African citizens at the Ukrainian border during a UN Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York.
“We strongly condemn this racism and believe that it is to the detriment of the spirit of solidarity that is so urgently needed today. “Improper treatment of African peoples on Europe’s borders must end immediately, whether against Africans fleeing Ukraine or those crossing the Mediterranean,” Kenyan Ambassador to the UN Martin Kimani said Monday.
Oneegbule, a first-year medical student, said she was attracted to study in Ukraine because she was looking for a “safe and cheap option outside of Nigeria.”
“In general, life in Ukraine was calm, it is a beautiful country. “Sometimes in the trams, people don’t want to sit next to you and they stare, but in general, Ukrainians are nice people,” she said.