By Linus Aleke with agency reports
Amid peace talks, Russian shelling killed no fewer than 11 civilians in Ukraine’s second most populated city Kharkiv, the regional governor, Oleg Sinegubov, wrote on the Telegram messaging app yesterday. Sinegubov added that dozens more were wounded.

The shelling comes on the fifth day of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and one day after Ukrainian troops repelled an attack on Kharkiv by Moscow’s army, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report.

“The Russian enemy is bombing residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the armed forces,” “As a result of the bombardments that are ongoing, we cannot call on the emergency services… currently there are 11 dead and dozens wounded,” he added.

The Kremlin said earlier yesterday said that the Russian military’s main task was to ensure the safety of civilians. But Russia has also accused nationalist groups in Ukraine of using civilians as human shields and the Ukrainian military of deploying heavy weapons to residential areas, as potential pretexts justifying civilian deaths.

*FG kicks against Ukrainian police blocking its citizens fleeing to Poland
The Federal Government has expressed displeasure over reports that the Ukrainian Police and other security operatives are blocking some of its citizens from fleeing the country over the recent bombing and invasion of the country by Russian security forces.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s senior media assistant, Garba Shehu, said Nigeria is worried that some of its citizens were being denied exit from Ukraine or entry to Poland by officials of the respective country.

Shehu, in a statement issued late Sunday, confirmed that at least 4,000 Nigerians are stranded in Ukrainian, most of whom he said are students. He said as much as the authorities of those countries are trying to protect their people, “All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to the safe passage under UN Convention” regardless of the colour of their passport or skin.

The statement reads: “While efforts to begin talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway, paramount on our minds is the safety and human rights of some four thousand Nigerian citizens and many others from friendly African nations today stranded in Ukraine. “There is a long history dating back to decades of Nigerians and other Africans studying in Ukraine, particularly medicine. The majority of Nigerian citizens in the country today are university-enrolled students.

“From video evidence, first-hand reports, and from those in contact with their wards and/or Nigerian consular officials there have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border. “In one video widely circulating on social media, a Nigerian mother with her young baby was filmed being physically forced to give up her seat to another person.

There are also separate reports of Polish officials simply refusing Nigerian citizens’ entry into Poland from Ukraine. “One group of Nigerian students having been repeatedly refused entry into Poland have concluded they have no choice but to travel again across Ukraine and attempt to exit the country via the border with Hungary.

We understand the pain and fear that is confronting all people who find themselves in this terrifying place. “We also appreciate that those in official positions in security and border management will in most cases be experiencing impossible expectations in a situation they never expected. “But, for that reason, it is paramount that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour.

“All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to the safe passage under UN Convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference. “As a nation, we are proud of those educated in Kyiv and Kharkiv and other cities and centres of learning who have returned to Nigeria to perform great service for our nation and our people. Without the generosity of spirit of the Ukrainian people that would never have been possible.

“We pray for those directly affected by this conflict. Nigeria, with our 200 million people, support all and every diplomatic effort to bring this war to an end.”

An estimated 4,000 Nigerians were studying in tertiary institutions across Ukraine in 2020, according to data from the government – the highest number of African nationals there, along with Morocco.

*’Africans fleeing Ukraine can only withdraw $30 per day’
A Nigerian student living in Lviv, Ukraine, Eniola Adebajo, is trapped and wants to leave the country but the conditions are tough, she said in an emotional interview. Adebajo is one of the several Nigerians and Africans trapped in the Ukraine conflict and trying to escape to Poland.

Africans are not just stranded in Ukraine, but also facing racial discrimination, according to several reports. “The situation is very terrible right now because people have been there for days and the weather is currently -2 °C in Lviv. Some people have been outside without shelter, food, and water,” Adebajo said in an interview with Channels TV on Monday. “The Ukraine guards at the border are not letting male foreigners pass and if you can’t pass the Ukrainian border, you can’t even access those other countries that are the problem.”

Adebajo did not make any move to leave Lviv early enough, because her school made it difficult for students to leave until Friday last week. “We only got an instruction (from school) to leave just this Friday,” she revealed. She said the economic and health hardship they are facing are very severe.

Adebajo said, “In terms of money, people are stranded too. For example, I use my dad’s card to withdraw, and right now, the withdrawal limit for me is $30 per day. “I can’t withdraw more than $30, so it is terrible even if I need money because there are options of getting a toll bus, but it’s really expensive and toll bus prices are ranging now from $100 and above. “People don’t even have money. You can’t withdraw more than $30 from the ATM if you are using a foreign card. It is really bad.”

She wants to leave Lviv, a Ukrainian state she said was relatively calm to nearby Poland, but it’s getting harder than they thought. The distance from Lviv to Kiev is 549.2km or 7hrs 17 minutes and from Lviv to the border is around 8h 19m via train and a distance of 80km. The cost of moving to the border was around $16, $25, or $33 on a bus or train before the crisis.

*Nigerian Embassies receive over 256 stranded compatriots from Ukraine
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Embassies in Romania, Hungary, and Poland have received over 256 stranded Nigerians from Ukraine, while awaiting the arrival of 200 more in the coming days.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. “In the last 24 hours, officials of the Nigerian Embassy received 130 Nigerians safely at Bucharest, Romania, where they had been provided accommodation and would be documented, while we finalise arrangements to bring them back home.

“Also, officials at Budapest, Hungary, had received and accommodated 74 Nigerians safely, where they are being documented for subsequent travel arrangements back to Nigeria. “We are expecting another batch of about 200 in the city of Budapest, tomorrow, Monday.

In Warsaw, Poland, 52 Nigerians, and 23 others were being processed at the Polish government’s reception point at Hala Kijowska. “Milny 90, 37-552 Milny, which is near the border of Korczowa-Krakowiec, is a camp that is well organised with beds and beddings, food, heating, clothing, and medicals for evacuees.

“We assure Nigerians that all hands are on deck and arrangements are being put in place to effectively evacuate our citizens, in safety and dignity,” he stated.

Situation in Ukraine is heart-wrenching – China

The Federal Government had made arrangements with the authorities of the countries to grant an access-free visa to stranded Nigerians.

The Nigerian government had also advised its nationals to cooperate with immigration officials at the border posts.