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Foreign students fleeing Ukraine say they face segregation, racism at border
Foreign students fleeing Ukraine say they face segregation, racism at border | CNN
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, foreign students attempting to leave the country say they are experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces and border officials.
(CNN)As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, foreign students attempting to leave the country say they are experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces and border officials.
One African medical student told CNN that she and other foreigners were ordered off the public transit bus at a checkpoint between Ukraine and Poland border.
They were told to stand aside as the bus drove off with only Ukrainian nationals on board, she says.
Rachel Onyegbule, a Nigerian first-year medical student in Lviv was left stranded at the border town of Shehyni, some 400 miles from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
She told CNN: "More than 10 buses came and we were watching everyone leave. We thought after they took all the Ukrainians they would take us, but they told us we had to walk, that there were no more buses and told us to walk."
"My body was numb from the cold and we haven't slept in about 4 days now. Ukrainians have been prioritized over Africans -- men and women -- at every point. There's no need for us to ask why. We know why. I just want to get home," Onyegbule told CNN in a telephone call Sunday as she waited in line at the border to cross into Poland.
Allegations of violence
Saakshi Ijantkar, a fourth-year medical student from India, also shared her ordeal with CNN Monday via a phone call from Lviv, western Ukraine."There are three checkposts we need to go through to get to the border. A lot of people are stranded there. They don't allow Indians to go through.
CNN has been unable to confirm the identities or affiliations of the people who operated the checkpoints, but Ijantkar said they were all wearing uniforms.
Honestly, I've dealt with Ukrainians and I'm not really against Ukrainians. I'm really not. I am very sympathetic to them, I think they have an interesting culture, I think they have admirable qualities and I respect Ukrainians. But I also think neo-naziism has been normalized in Ukraine. I think it's disingenuous to claim that the neonazi thing is Russian propaganda- especially when Western media itself issued a number of reports on the same subject and only all of a sudden is it now "Russian propaganda". I have more information that I haven't shared as of the moment which I think is further indication of that there is a serious racism problem in Ukraine. Every infant is born upon the fitrah and I believe all people are born with that innate goodness. The problem is not Ukrainians. The problem is the regime. I think Russia is right to call for denazification. I think de-nazification is in order.
Racism exists in every country. I know some could say it exists in Russia as well. But in Russia, it is not seen well to be a Nazi. Neo-naziism is not looked upon well and it is not encouraged. I think the racism that many reports are indicating is a result of what can happen when these neonazi ideologies take root. We have seen it in the West with the mainstreaming of neonazi ideology here.
