Ukraine has been recently been in the news following the invasion by Russia.
This has seen a number of countries move in to evacuate their citizens from the troubled nation. In Kenya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had assured that 74 students in the country had crossed into neighbouring regions as of February 28, 2022. However, around 26 students are still urging the Kenyan government to intervene and evacuate them.
In the past 13 days, the students have remained stuck in Ukraine as their attempts to get out of the country have been futile.
Peter, one of the students studying medicine at the Sumy State University spoke to the media, revealing how the attack has left them in a state of worry and their lives at risk.
“It was abrupt and the tension kept building by the day. Nobody was prepared for it at all. We could not really act fast and move out of the country," he told the Nation.
Devising tactics to survive, Peter and his friends were forced to move out of the major cities and reside in underground bunkers in to shield themselves from the ongoing shelling.
"We sleep in bunkers (an underground shelter mostly used in wartime). Some days, I sleep at the hostels but I barely get any sleep. The school’s hostel is a bit secure but we still can see shelling taking place and we do not feel safe. Most of the night, the bunkers are our go-to places,” he stated.
Ali Ahmed, one of Peter's friends, intimated that they have endured tough times due to lack of food, water, and electricity. For those living in hostels, they have had to share resources that are fast depleting.
"On normal days, I live in the hostel but for now, I moved out to live with a friend who has an apartment. There, we have some water, about 20 litres, which we use sparingly. In the hostels, my friends tell me they are using snow as water,” he stated.
"There is more bombing now and the strikes are getting closer to where we are and very soon some of us will be no more. All the other nations are being taken care of but it is only Kenyan students that are left here on our own. Even the ones in the safer cities used their own means to evacuate themselves."
Seizing the opportunity, the taxi businesses have registered huge profit margins as they charge almost triple the normal rates to evacuate troubled students attempting to reach the borders and flee the war-torn cities. Peter and his friends had to part with about Ksh300,000 to flee from the affected cities.
"That is the lowest price and we are only being taken to the border. We are not sure if we will get there as we are still outside and it is cold,” Peter stated.
Contrary to the world's perception, Peter noted that the Russian military had been instrumental in aiding international students cross the borders, noting that the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow was yet to respond to their calls for the past two weeks.
This comes after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an evacuation mission for Kenyans still stranded in Ukraine, noting that a convoy was heading to the final extraction point.
The Ministry noted that they were taking all precautionary measures to ensure the safe evacuation of all Kenyans.
