As the war in Ukraine continues to escalate, the 200 South Africans trapped in the country were advised to flee to neighboring countries. Ukrainians, however, are hiding and anxiously awaiting the next attack. Ukrainian tour guide Oleksandra Fedorenko is currently in hiding in her apartment in the center of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine. Fedorenko said Chernihiv is an ancient city with unique architecture dating back 1000 years. That is now in jeopardy as the city becomes a battlefield. “At the first sound of the air raid sirens, I’ll run to the bomb shelter,” she said. On Tuesday afternoon, Fedorenko…
As the war in Ukraine continues to escalate, the 200 South Africans trapped in the country were advised to flee to neighboring countries. Ukrainians, however, are hiding and anxiously awaiting the next attack.
Ukrainian tour guide Oleksandra Fedorenko is currently in hiding in her apartment in the center of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine.
Fedorenko said Chernihiv is an ancient city with unique architecture dating back 1000 years. That is now in jeopardy as the city becomes a battlefield.
“At the first sound of the air raid sirens, I’ll run to the bomb shelter,” she said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Fedorenko said the city was relatively quiet.
Two hours later, Fedorenko was hiding in the bomb shelter under her apartment building.
“My house is a multi-apartment, four-storey building built in the 1950s and built to very strict standards and has a bomb shelter,” she said.
Fedorenko said they never thought it would be useful to them.
“This is a basement, but it’s well fortified, with an armored door,” she said.
“There are about 30 people hiding in our bomb shelter. These are our roommates and people from neighboring houses,” she said.
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Fedorenko said they knew difficult times might be coming and had stocked up on food.
“Now everything is facilitated by the fact that in our homes, not damaged by explosions, there is electricity, internet, water, gas. We cook food and there is a supermarket nearby,” she said.
“The distant cannons of explosions can be heard,” she added.
She said they witnessed about 10 to 15 cruise missile attacks during the first five days of the war.
“There are currently checkpoints in the main streets and Ukrainian soldiers are preparing to defend Chernihiv,” she said.
Fedorenko said he was grateful for the Ukrainian armed forces who had Chernihiv under control.
However, she is concerned about her mother who lives in a different part of the city.
‘I don’t have the opportunity to visit her. I am very concerned, but we are in touch,” she said.
Fedorenko said the support from the international community is inspiring.
“My customers, tourists, my friends from different cities and countries who call and write to me. Only the Belarusians and Russians are silent now. I hope they are ashamed,” she said.
She said the areas hit by air raids looked terrible.
“Burned houses, destroyed floors and fires, but we hold on, we believe in our soldiers, we believe in our struggle, we believe in Ukraine,” she said.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesman Clayson Monyela said they are providing support to South Africans affected by the conflict through Ukraine’s embassy.
“Ambassador Andre Groenewald has a database of 200 South African The throwdowntvs, including students. He has a WhatsApp group to provide information and update on how South Africans can go to safe places,” he said.
Monyela said they have advised South Africans to move to countries that host refugees, such as Poland, Romania and Hungary.
“We have ambassadors at the borders to receive them. Earlier I spoke to a group of students who have safely reached the border with Poland,” he said.
Monyela said Dirco welcomed the talks between Ukraine and Russia and encouraged everyone to enter into the dialogue with a spirit of compromise.
Meanwhile, the sidewalk in front of the Embassy of Ukraine in Pretoria was decorated with blue and yellow flowers and messages of support on the lawn, while police, private security and Ukrainian soldiers guard the property.
At the gate, Ukrainian diplomat Oksana Rozumna had to hold back tears when asked how she felt about the war in her country and if she had family in Ukraine.
As a diplomat, Rozumna is not allowed to share her emotions, so she quickly wiped her tears and added that her relatives are fine.
Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, said during an update on the situation in Ukraine that both sides suffered losses.
“The humanitarian situation is in jeopardy and faces military fleets on the ground. On Monday, 352 people were killed, including 16 children. In all, 1,684 people, including 116 children, were injured,” she said.
Abravitova said the number of injured civilians continues to rise.
“A lot of people have lost their homes,” she says.
Abravitova said the situation at the border from Ukraine to Poland, Hungary and Romania was terrifying.
“Long queues, made up of both cars and pedestrians, were more than 40 kilometers long,” she said.
The ambassador said that according to United Nations data, more than 160,000 people have been displaced since the start of the war and that half a million Ukrainian residents have left Ukraine.
“We urge the international community to show solidarity with Ukraine. The fighting and strikes around Kiev are intensifying and we expect the coming hours to become even more terrifying,” she said.
Abravitova asked the South African government and neighboring countries to support Ukrainian refugees.
“Save their lives, because every life counts,” she said.
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