Reports on the exodus of refugees from Ukraine are very disturbing. There are about 15,000 Indian students who are stuck in Ukraine. They are trying to exit the war-torn country, but are unable to do so, due to the chaos.

There is no organised agency which can move these students from their hostels to the borders. Many students who made it to the borders near Poland or Romania companied that they were made to stand in the cold for over 48 hours, without any water, food, or shelter.

There are videos posted by the students, of guards kicking and beating them. The border forces are giving priority to Ukrainian citizens, particularly the children and women. Children and women do deserve priority, but the students from foreign countries who are marooned in Ukraine, also deserve a safe passage. An Indian student was killed by shelling in Kharkiv in Ukraine.

Students from African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, etc., have also complained that they are being held back at the Ukraine borders and are being made to stand in the cold for two to three days. The students are horrified and have posted heart-rending messages to their governments and their parents. Clearly the logistics of receiving and managing the refugees need to be improved. There have to be more officials at the borders in the refugee receiving countries, to ensure that the refugees pass through expeditiously.

The governments of countries like India, Kenya, Nigeria, etc., should establish communication with the governments of Russia and Ukraine to let their embassies or special armed forces establish reception centres for their citizens and support them with water, food and some shelter.

If need be, these special armed forces should even be permitted sorties within Ukraine, to collect the students from their hostels and ferry them across the borders. I am sure, the Russian and Ukraine governments and armies will agree to this humanitarian mission. In 2002, I was based in Abidjan, when the civil war was raging in Cote d’voire. Special French armed forces and US Marines visited Abidjan, with the limited goals of rescuing stranded children from a foreign school and some French citizens. The entire operation was seamless.

A similar operation is required for foreign students and citizens in Ukraine, by their parent countries, in conjunction with the United Nations or Red Cross.  

We cannot let down these traumatised students.

Rajendra Aneja,
Mumbai, India