The suffering of the children of the Arab communities stranded in Ukraine
According to many members of the Arab communities stranded in Ukraine, the failure of the members of the community, like many others, to take the warnings of a Russian invasion seriously, and their belief that what is happening is nothing more than media intimidation, ended up in this tragic situation, In which they feel that there is no way out for them from a fierce war taking place on the territory of Ukraine, at a time when the Russian forces are close to major Ukrainian cities, where tens of thousands of the Arab community live.
As the pace of the Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerates, and the Russian forces become close to the cities, amid fears of humanitarian disasters, the waves of displacement are increasing from the Ukrainian capital (Kyiv) and other cities, whether towards the countryside and areas of western Ukraine, or towards neighboring countries, tens of thousands of people Arab communities face the danger of remaining in areas subject to destruction, and they are unable to migrate towards cities and relatively safe areas, as do Ukrainians who seek refuge with friends or relatives, at a time when some of them talk about the difficulties they faced in their attempts to cross the borders of countries neighboring Ukraine.
According to many reports about the conditions of the Arabs, stranded within the borders of Ukraine, they say that their lives have been turned upside down, and that they are divided between those who went down to stay in shelters, and those who fled towards the Polish border, at a time when social networking sites are witnessing strong criticism. For the Arab governments, which critics say have been late and late, in evacuating their nationals from Ukrainian lands, while their instructions to them were characterized by confusion, between asking them to stay at home, and then asking them to go to the borders of Ukraine's neighboring countries, without clear plans.
At a time when a large number of members of the Arab community are packing what they can carry from their belongings to escape from several Ukrainian cities, towards the borders with neighboring countries, the members of the Arab community who remained stuck in the capital, Kyiv, resorted to subway stations to take shelter, Like many Ukrainians, who have not yet left the country, they speak of miserable lives, with subway stations overcrowded with families and children forced to sleep on the floor.
Fear prevails in Kyiv, with Russian forces expected to enter the capital, after "horrific Russian missile attacks" on the city, which has a population of nearly three million, at a time when the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had taken control of the strategic "Hostomel" airport, outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and paratroopers landed in the area.
On the worst side of the crisis, a large number of Arabs stuck in the war in Ukraine believe in the proverb “like one who seeks refuge in the desert with fire.” They had already fled from fierce wars in several Arab countries, such as Syria, Libya and Yemen, and settled in Ukraine. They do not know where they can go now, while some of them may not have citizenship documents in their countries of origin that would enable them to return to them.
On the side of the Arab authorities, many governments announced plans to evacuate the members of their community in Ukraine, and directed them to cross to the countries of neighboring countries, in order to be airlifted from there, but the picture appears different on social media, where members of the Arab communities are directed In Ukraine, successive appeals to the authorities of their country, to rush to save them, while others in the Arab world talk about the apparent inaction of governments, and the lack of clarity of their plans.
In addition to the thousands of Arabs who settled in Ukraine years ago, the bulk of the country's residents, who number in the tens of thousands, are Arab students, who go every year to study in Ukraine, in various specialties, the most important of which is medicine, because the cost of studying in Ukraine It is much lower than its cost in other western countries, with a high level of quality of education.
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