AmazonTopaz:

The USA did not go to Afghanistan to replace the Taliban they went there to get Bin Laden and they did go and read it up I wonder why they even stayed longer another thing is that after training Afghani fighters the cowards surrendered and their president jetted out

CNN watcher spotted

michealdeco:
I don't really want to comment on this issue but I think this is Better

Ukraine and it's government should know that their are prices you have to pay for being neighbour to certain countries

Am sure North Korea won't allow South Korea to form such alliance with NATO or Western forces neither will China allow India
And even the US wont allow Mexico go into a bromance with Russia

They should learn from this and resolve the matter soon

?
Kiddo, USA has a defence treaty with South Korea and Japan. If you attack SK, you've indirectly attacked USA because they're obligated to defend SK.
And contrary to the bullshit you just typed, US can keep nukes in either SK or Japan, and there's nothing North Korea can do about it.

China won't allow India? Do you realize India has nuclear weapons too?
You're terribly ignorant..

The only person dat will advise Putin to stop dis war now is a mad man roaming the street Putin won't pull back until he succeed

Putin's intention is to swap the president of a sovereign nation..

Putin....

tophumble:
Maka why?

You want to impose someone that the people revolted against back to power. This is serious fa

Him no win election?
Why do coup and remove him?

Omicron007:



Call it propaganda, call it fake news, the fact still remains that both Russia and Ukraine are already suffering from this avoidable war and unecessary show of force.


Because USA has denied most of these war mongers visa, they are quick to come for America's head while forgetting that war is always about national interest.

When USA invaded other countries and made them a mess, what did u say?

My brother, I have never applied for USA visa. As a software developer, I can work anywhere from anywhere.

Just like the way Buhari is a puppet to malami and Afonja is puppet to Fulani.

This will be somehow difficult to declared him president because he came from eastern Ukraine, which declared their independent republics since 2014 out of Ukraine, both were recognized by Moscow last month.

Omicron007:



Call it propaganda, call it fake news, the fact still remains that both Russia and Ukraine are already suffering from this avoidable war and unecessary show of force.


Because USA has denied most of these war mongers visa, they are quick to come for America's head while forgetting that war is always about national interest.

Nigerians sef, 'show of force'' what is going on there is beyond show of force,sometimes you need to fight some fights ok..you dont chicken out all the time.

Stevenson20:
To hell with una war.
I have noticed that they no longer tells us anything about corona virus. All of a sudden corona virus news just die

Anyway, where is our minister of petroleum abi president
This fuel scarcity matter no consign you so
Mods, we're fed up with Russia and Ukraine war. Make una update us on Tigary and Ethiopia wars.

You no know say this pandemic na scam..no new variant again..

iezeiyida:
I am very confident in utmost assurance just like Putin, that Russia will capture Kyiv and the entire Ukraine

Where is sleepy, weak Joe, Boris, Macron and co I take God beg dem make them come do anyhow bcoz I wan dem to see anyhow

Joe Biden is the 666.
This is the end of Putin.
Russia is going to scatter.

I think I am loving putin

WibusJaga:


Putin feeling like Superman now. He'd better humble himself & learn from history.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/15056002_jointpics20220228151229_jpegec2f679e94f950a622444f1a1e10f49c

Putin apparently is learning very well from history. If he doesnt take the strong and unpopular stand (like he's doing currently with this invasion), he'd probably be surrounded pretty soon by his enemies who want his neck and would surely end up like those 2 men you posted, who were extrajudicially slaughtered by the US.

Meanwhile a very vital question to be asked; the invasion of Ukraine by Putin to unseat the president, how is that any different from what the US did in Libya and Iraq (i.e. invading sovereign countries unprovoked with the sole aim of regime change)? If Putin is rightly being labelled a 'devil' for this move, how come others who recently committed the very same offence are still seen as saints?

michealdeco:
I don't really want to comment on this issue but I think this is Better

Ukraine and it's government should know that their are prices you have to pay for being neighbour to certain countries

Am sure North Korea won't allow South Korea to form such alliance with NATO or Western forces neither will China allow India
And even the US wont allow Mexico go into a bromance with Russia

They should learn from this and resolve the matter soon

They won’t learn anything, because US keep pressuring the president not to hold ceasefire talks they promise him heaven on earth but they left him in hell burning, other countries around Russia should learn from this invasion if they think NATO and US will risk going to war with Russia then they’re lying, nobody will want to confront Russia except they want another world war

michealdeco:
I don't really want to comment on this issue but I think this is Better

Ukraine and it's government should know that their are prices you have to pay for being neighbour to certain countries

Am sure North Korea won't allow South Korea to form such alliance with NATO or Western forces neither will China allow India
And even the US wont allow Mexico go into a bromance with Russia

They should learn from this and resolve the matter soon

You NAILED IT

seanwilliam:
Like for USA share for Russia







I buy all types of gift cards and funds ( skrill, paypal).

I’m tested and reliable

Na only Russia get all these share? Putin suppose start to dash Nigerians Russian passport o.

I'll gladly take it. I want to be a citizen of the largest country in the world bigger than whole ecowas x4. And the few truly independent countries on earth when most have fallen under US hegemony and the rest irrelevant like our beloved naija

Realists:


Putin is greater than them, because of his Nuclear weapons, Saddam Hussein & Gaddafi never had Nuclear weapons, so the west treated them like chickens, however Putin nuclear weapons can end the both USA & Europe today. This the soul reason Iran is seeking Nuclear weapons, so as to become invisible like Pakistan a Nuclear arm country.

U must be very stupid.U're an idiot. Must u comment? U.S and Europe dnt have nuclear abi? BigFatFool!

Lol all these ones you are posting are not 1% as powerful.

WibusJaga:


Putin feeling like Superman now. He'd better humble himself & learn from history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZi1sPns_58

By Tola Owoyele



Sources in the Ukrainian intelligence have told Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine’s ex-President Viktor Yanukovych is in Kremlin, Russia’s seat of power, being prepared for a special operation.

The sources said Vladmir Putin plans to replace Voladmyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, with Yanukovych.


Yanukovych is a former Ukrainian president who served from 2010 until he was removed from office during a revolution in 2014.

During Yanukovych’s time in office, Ukraine was seen to be subservient to Russia. The CNN once referred to Putin as ‘Ukraine’s Puppet Master’ while Yanukovych was president in 2014.

Yanukovych rejected a pending European Union association agreement the same year and pursued closer ties with Russia, leading to his exit.

Violent clashes between protesters and Ukrainian forces caused him to flee to southern Russia.

With Yanukovych back in power, Kyiv would lean more towards Moscow than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or Western Europe, observers say.

The Problem l have with this Indomie generation of Nigerians (and some clueless older dudes) is that they are too MENTALLY LAZY AND HAVE NO APPETITE TO SEARCH FOR TRUTH, on any issue.

A simple Google search of "How President Yanukovych was overthrown" or "The Maidon 'Cookie' Revolution", would have thrown up a lot of facts for anyone to ponder upon and given Nigerians an INSIGHT into the mind so-called "Mad Man", President Putin.

Its a long story but l will give a summary and you can Google more info, so as to make up your own mind.

- Yanukovych was validly elected as President, in a democratic election. He was from the Dombas Region
- Because the US and NATO wanted to expand into Ukraine, so they can directly threaten Russia, they asked him to become Pro-NATO/AMERICA/
-The President refused and preferred to have good relations with its stronger neighbour, Russia.
- AMERICA (does anyone recall that name: Nuland?) used its Agents, CIA Ops and the enemies of Russia, like Poland, to sponsor Radical, Nazi-like criminal gangs, to VIOLENTLY TOPPLE Yanukovych's Govt.
- the violence was led by a US funded band of Militia Men called the ARZOV BATTALION.Now, if you think Nigerian Herdsmen are Evil, then you've not seen the Arzov Battallion in Action.
- The guys encircled a City Council Building where some supporters of the President were hoilding a Meeting, ON FIRE! Anyone who managed to escape the fire either have their head CHOPPED-OFF putsidethe burning multi-storey building or had their head blown-off with Sniper Fire.....in a "Western country"!
- The terrorist, Neo-Nazi Arzov Battallion (later banned on Facebook aand other SM since 2016, but reinstated since last week!), nearly killed President Yanukovych, he ran away for dear life.
- America/NATO and the E.U then imposed "their man" Porochenko, one of the Neo-Nazis, as President.
- Porochenko then ensured that Ukraine was properly radicalised and Pro-NATO. He also banned one of their TWO OFFICIAL LANGUAGES (RUSSIAN), which is the natural, ethnic language of the people from the Dombas region of Ukraine.
-- this angered the people of Dombas Region, they organised a REFERENDUM and decided they no longer want to be a part of Ukraine, understandably so.
- Since that REFERENDUM IN 2014, the Porochenko Govt in Kiev, unleashed military might on them in Dombas Region, using the same Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion (now absorbed into the Ukrainian Army). only the People of that Dombas region (Lughansk and Donetsk), can narrate the horror they have been going through, since that 2014.
- Being "Native, Ethnic Russian Speakers", Russia tried to mediate between them and the Govt in Kiev (Ukraine). France and Germany were also GUARANTORS of the Agreement they all signed, after the Negotiation/Mediation. That AGREEMENT was called Minsk I (and a second one, Minsk II), because it took place in Minsk, capital of Belarus.
- The Minsk Agreements stipulates that:
1) Ukraine Govt should not use MILITARY FORCE to conquer and forcefully re-unite the two breakaway areas of Lughansk and Donetsk, known together as "Dombas Region".
2) The Dombas region should be given some "Self Autonomy" but will still remain a member of Ukraine
3) The people should not be disenfranchised any longer and they should be allowed to speak their ethnic Russian Language.
4) The Agreement was signed by the Ukrainian Govt, the Representatives of the Two break-away Regions, Russia, Germany and France, as guarantors.

Between 2014 and Jan 2022, the Ukrainian Govt did not implement any of the resolution in the Agreement but rather kept on shelling the Regions, using heavy Artillery, while its Neo-Nazi Arzov Battalion unleashed war and mayhem on them.
-Being ethnic Russians, they ran to Russia for help, about a Million of them even took Russian citizenship, hoping Russia will come to their aid.
- For 8yrs, Russia did all he could, to make the Ukrainian central Govt change its mindset but it only got worse.
- The West, seeing that having a military Base and "ally" in Ukraine, would make Russia very vulnerable, encouraged Ukraine to join the EU first, and then join NATO afterwards. it also gave Ukraine the needed Weapons, Training and Money, on the condition that it MUST SUPPRESS THE DOMBAS REGION COMPLETELY, BY ALL MEANS.
- For 8yrs, help did not come but "hell" was let lose in the Dombas Region, courtesy of these Neo-Nazis called Azov Battalion, now ingratiated into the Ukranian military.
- Long story short, Zelensky was elected, after 4yrs of Porochenko and he made a vow to America that he would solve the "Dombas Problem" by March 2022.
- Putin got "Intelligence Report" of what is about to happen to his "Ethnic Russian family" (some have become Russian Citizens by now) in Dombas. He also got to know that Zelensky has applied to take Ukraine into the EU and NATO.
- Putin objected such move, just as America will object, if Russia tries to bring Mexico, Cuba or even Canada into a Military Alliance with it. (Anyone can read how the "Cuban Missile Crisis played out, during the Cold War). Putin wrote series of Letters to America, EU, United Nations, and anyone that matters, stating WHY it will not allow Ukraine to join NATO and WHY Russia will no longer permit Military Operations in the Dombas Region but that Zelensky should rather IMPLEMENT the Agreement signed in Minsk I and Minsk II.
- The West called his Letters, "A Non-Starter" and dismissed it with a wave of hand.
- America also said Russia cannot decide for Ukraine, whether to join NATO or not, even though America did not allow Cuba to have such military alliance with Russia!
- To prevent Ukraine Govt from joining NATO (which Russia called a "Red Line", as it is an Existential Threat to Russia) and to prevent Zelenky from unleashing his "final attack" on the People of Dombas, right after they proclaimed their independence, Russia did TWO THINGS:

1) Russia decided to give recognition to the Two Republics (Lugansk and Donesk) IMMEDIATELY.
That way, they can invite Russia for "Protection" from the impending Military onslaught of Zelensky's Ukrainian Govt.

2) Russia decided to PRE-EMPT the combination of America/NATO and EU from taking Ukraine into its Military Alliance, after which time, it will be too late, because then, he will have to face NATO, a Nuclear Power Alliance! The same way that, as of today, America and its NATO Allies are wary of confronting a Nuclear Power Russia, if they put "boots on the ground" in Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine and vowed to deal with the Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion that has been killing Ethnic Russians in Lugansk and Donetsk since 2014 (De-Nazification Objective) while degrading all the Weapons that NATO/America has been storing in Ukraine since 2014, to be used against Russia once Ukraine attains NATO Membership and to prevent Ukraine's ability to develop a Nuclear Weapon (De-Militarisation objective)

Now, that we know WHY Russia did what it had to do, l will end this Write Up by reminding us that Russia still sees Ukraine and Ukrainians as "Brothers", hence its refusal to use "overwhelming force", especially from the Air, to reduce Ukraine to Rubble. Zelensky, who is in hiding, should stop the propaganda that they are "resisting Russia" militarily.
Also, Russia does not intend that any Ukrainian civilian should die, but by handing out weapons to Civilians, Zelensky has put them in Harm's way, to shoot and be shot by trained soldiers.. But War is not an exact Science, anyway. Russia was always willing for a "Negotiated Surrender", to avoid further casualties.

BTW: All Western Media are still operating and reporting from INSIDE Russia, you can watch CNN Reporting from Bolgorov in Russia, Fox from Moscow, BBC from Moscow, etc. but the Americans and Europeans have SHUTDOWN all avenue for the Public to listen to Russian Television (RT News) on all social Media (taken off-air in Europe, UK, America, YouTube, Apps Store, Google Play Store and just about ant means of hearing the Russian Point of View!
WHY IS THAT?
The reason given by the British, American and E.U is that they dont want RT News to misinform their People, they want them to listen to News aired only by Western Main Stream Media.
Hmmm.... does it mean that Americans and Europeans are too dumb to make up their mind, by themselves, if they hear THE TWO SIDES OF A STORY or does this sound like BRAINWASHING THEIR PEOPLE?

BTW: FIFA, International Olympic Committee (IOC), UEFA, World Judo Federation, Formula 1, EPL and many other "International" Sports Organisation have always punished any Athlete who as much as put on a Sportswear that have the slightest hint of a "Political Message", claiming that "Politics and Sport Dont Mix" yet, we have all seen their HYPOCRISY as they have all towed and capitulated under American Pressure to BAN "Anything Russian" or anyone who does not agree with their own "Russia is Evil" Narrative.
Even the United Nations has become USELESS as America has now decided it has the right to prevent UN Diplomats from coming to the United Nations or Expel a sitting UN Diplomat, like it expelled 13 UN Diplomats of Russian origin! What a Shame.

P.S: I have written this events because it is what most of us have been prevented from hearing or reading, by the information clamp down of the Western World. Let ALL INFORMATION/NEWS be available for the people to hear and then let them decide what to believe.

Thank you.

It was wrong for the pro-western population aided by Britain and America to use populist strategy to overthrow the government of President Victor Yanokovich.

That was wrong from the very start as Mr Yanokovich was initially democratically elected.

The west saw nothing wrong in the overthrow of President Victor Yanokovich.

The west brought in Porochenko who lost election and later President Zelensky.

The pro-western people of UKRAINE underestimated the danger of NATO berting their warship in the black sea with Ukraine just in a face me and I face you partern.

ar
On the road in eastern Ukraine, everywhere is the front line
Al Jazeera witnesses the scramble to defend eastern Ukrainian cities as Russian forces close in.
Empty streets of Mariupol on February 26 [Emre Caylak/Al Jazeera]
By Liz Cookman
Mariupol and Dnipro, Ukraine – On the morning we intend to leave Mariupol, it’s not yet clear if it’s possible to get out – there are reports the city has been surrounded by Russian forces and artillery attacks reverberate through the grey sky like thunder.
I had been in Mariupol for almost one month, but after Russia crossed the border on February 24, it was not so much a matter of if the port city in eastern Ukraine would be targeted in the advance, but when.
The city is key to President Vladimir Putin’s plans to establish a land corridor between Russia, breakaway territories in the Donbas region, and annexed Crimea. Cargo that passes through the port is key to Ukraine’s economy.
Mariupol’s eastern suburbs, 10km (six miles) from the front line with Russian-backed separatists, have already suffered years of violence, but during the last week, Russian troops have moved in from every direction and the area has been pounded incessantly with rockets and other projectiles.
Each day, the fighting on the outskirts of the city moves closer to the centre, the cracks and booms growing louder.
A school is destroyed. People watch from the window as burning orange flashes fly through the sky, wondering if their building is next.
The city has suffered casualties, although an exact figure is not clear.
At the city’s main hospital, I interview generous-hearted Ukrainians donating blood for the injured.
New military checkpoints spring up seemingly in moments, blocking roads with hastily felled trees, while a petrol station attendant advises my car full of journalists to leave and get far as far away as possible as it hurriedly shuts its doors, presumably expecting an imminent attack.
There is often no electricity, no heat and no internet. Friends I’ve never heard swear before start cursing.
This region speaks mostly Russian, many have relatives in Russia – the killings are a crime that is hard to compute.
Ukrainians now face a terrible choice: stay and face weeks, perhaps months, of deadly assault, or try to leave for the uncertainty of dangerous open roads and a life displaced.
But trains and buses out of Mariupol have stopped and for many, the window to escape safely may have already gone.
A translator, sick of nights in dusty bunkers, plans to come with us if we go but then can’t bring herself to leave her parents behind. They don’t have the paperwork they might need later, especially if they need to flee the country, and her father is of fighting age – it’s uncertain if he can travel.
On Friday, a soldier at the front sends me a message: “We barely got out alive yesterday. We have pulled back.”
“Welcome Russia!” a neighbour cried into the night sky as we debated whether to stay or go. What happens in a city surrounded by enemy troops if some residents want them there, but most do not? Stories of Russian saboteurs abound across the country, but are even more potent in a city that was once considered pro-Russian.
It was another uncertainty we did not want to risk.
As we drive out of the city on Sunday, I and a small group of two photographers, including Emre Caylak – also working for Al Jazeera, and a radio journalist, notice that a mural of the trident coat of arms of Ukraine has been crossed out with graffiti.
We are privileged in having the means to escape; we drive out from the northeast and are allowed to leave, even though there are rumours that Ukrainians who tried to were not. “Watch out for mines,” the checkpoint guard soldier tells us.
The landscape of flat, open agricultural fields feels both a comfort – we can see for hundreds of metres all around as – and a curse for its lack of shelter. The road is littered with burned-out cars, churned up mud from the tracks of tanks and all along soldiers are setting up new checkpoints.
As we pass cities, troops prepare to defend them, scrambling to dig new trenches. On the outskirts, villagers take down road signs to confuse Russian troops. Iron anti-tank barriers known as Czech hedgehogs are scattered everywhere.
Ukrainians taking down road signs to confuse Russian forces [Emre Caylak/Al Jazeera]
To our south, Melitopol and Berdyansk have reportedly been occupied by Russian forces. We are heading for industrial hub Dnipro, approximately 300km (186 miles) from Mariupol on the western side of the Dneiper river that marks the start of eastern Ukraine.
So far the city has mercifully seen less violence than Kharkiv to its north, where attacks – allegedly with cluster bombs – have been called war crimes by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
However, some military experts believe there is a plan to take cities to the north and south of Dnipro, before sweeping down to cut off the east up to the border with Russia.
Passing through the country, it is clear to us that nowhere is safe in this war, and everywhere is the front line.
As we skim the city of Tomak, we get a call to say it has likely been occupied. The stress of the situation has everyone paranoid – we stop for coffee and to take a picture and a woman demands we show our ID.
In Zaporizhzhia, we get petrol and there’s a news flash that the Russians are moving in on the city’s nuclear power station. Nowhere did we see more frantic attempts to fortify the city than here.
Arriving into Dnipro after hours of travelling and checkpoints, we can finally breathe again. It is a city of grand Soviet buildings and open streets, and while Mariupol felt suspicious and stifling, Dnipro has united in efforts to coordinate humanitarian aid to others.
We see people collecting food, water, clothing, and even making Molotov cocktails to throw at tanks.
Identities change before your eyes, as people acquire new labels that could define their future: volunteer, refugee, soldier, widow.
It’s only days since the start of this terrible war, but it feels like it has been months. Time has become lost in a stream of phone notifications, each one could bring news of more disaster, while every loud noise is a possible attack.
Days no longer have the same structure – instead of time for work and time for rest, they are divided by sirens and no sirens; before curfew and after.
Makeshift bomb shelters in places that long served as storage for broken furniture and knick-knacks are now a lifeline, with residents filing in to check long-ignored electricity cables and put in light bulbs, and to sweep away huge, draping cobwebs and years of accumulated dust.
By 9:30pm on our first night in Dnipro, the sirens sound for the sixth time and we head into our hotel’s shelter again.
A child works on his homework, practising reading aloud, learning literacy skills for a future I desperately hope will be peaceful.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
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deept:


Because this new guy is not a new guy and he was Ukranian president in 2014. He was removed by an uprising with support from the west. Putin made noise nobody listened then he took Crimea. This guy was forcefully removed and Putin is trying to forcefully reinstate him if this news is true.

Didn't they conduct election?? I thought Ukraine practices democracy?

People of colour struggle to escape Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine rejects claims of discrimination by border guards and says it operates on a ‘first come, first served’ approach.
Universities across Ukraine have been popular with international students due to the high-quality education on offer and relatively low fees [Amanda Coakley/Al Jazeera]
By Amanda Coakley
Záhony, Ukraine-Hungary border – After six years in Ukraine, Ayoub, a 25-year-old Moroccan pharmacy student, had built a life he was proud of in Kharkiv, a city in the country’s northeast. He learned the Russian language, which is widely spoken in the city of 1.4 million, studied Ukrainian culture, and made friends from around the world. He was due to graduate in three months, but
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced him to flee the country, and exposed him to a level of racism he had not previously experienced.
Initially, he had planned to wait out the invasion in Kharkiv, hoping the Russian assault would stop. But when that possibility appeared increasingly unlikely, he joined classmates to make a long trek across the country to the Polish border.
In Lviv, a city 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Polish frontier, it became clear to Ayoub that he, along with other non-white international students, would be stopped by Ukrainian guards from leaving the country.
“They wanted Ukrainians to go first, so it was white people who got priority. Taxi drivers were also charging us crazy money, but I thought there will always be opportunists, even in war. It wasn’t until I reached one of the ‘checkpoints’ on the approach to the Polish border that I was actually pushed back and told to wait,” he told Al Jazeera.
Instead of waiting, he decided to try crossing into Hungary, where he arrived on Wednesday.
“When I spoke to the guards in Russian, they told me I should be speaking Ukrainian and questioned whose side I was on. That was really upsetting because I had worked so hard to learn Russian, not just speak it, but read and write it as well.”
Moroccan students board a train to Budapest [Amanda Coakley/Al Jazeera]
Universities across Ukraine have attracted international students due to the high-quality education on offer for relatively low fees, ranging between $4,000 and $5,000 a year.
Students from countries such as India, Nigeria, and Morocco have helped to make Kharkiv a vibrant university city and their fees have contributed to the local economy. Many have stayed in Ukraine after graduating and taken jobs in the country’s hospitals and businesses.
But some international students said their schools did not offer them assistance to leave the country as Russian forces launched the invasion. In an email seen by Al Jazeera, dated February 24, the day of the invasion, students at one university received an email notifying them that classes would move online. Two days later, students at the same institution received an email announcing a “vacation” from February 28 to March 12.
“No one helped us to leave or coordinated anything, we were just left on our own,” said Deborah, a 19-year-old student from northern Nigeria. She asked Al Jazeera not to use her real name.
“My friends went to the Polish border and were treated awfully by the Ukrainian guards. It wasn’t just Black people like me; it was anyone who wasn’t white,” she added.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted allegations of discrimination by border guards and said it operated on a “first come, first served approach” that “applies to all nationalities” with priority given to women, children, and elderly people in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Ayoub is annoyed that his teachers still expect him back in class on March 12. “I understand they want to keep morale high, but I am afraid they will charge us, or stop our studies if we don’t go back. I don’t understand why they cannot just suspend everything until further notice.” The experience has been so emotionally draining, Ayoub doesn’t think he will ever feel the same way about Ukraine again.
It is a sentiment shared by Deborah and her sister Aliyah, 19, who also studies in Ukraine. “This country has given me so much. The people of Ukraine don’t deserve this war and like everyone, I cannot understand why this has happened. Seeing pictures of these beautiful cities being shelled is awful. But I’ve seen a side that I cannot forget,” Aliyah added.
In recent days, word has spread among the international students fleeing Ukraine that they will likely have an easier time crossing into Hungary than Poland due to the smaller numbers of people waiting to get in. Of the refugees Al Jazeera spoke to, none reported problems boarding a train to the small Hungarian village of Záhony.
“I can see when you’re under crazy pressure and your country is being attacked you can act in terrible ways, but at the end of the day, everyone was running from the same danger,” said Deborah.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

People of colour struggle to escape Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine rejects claims of discrimination by border guards and says it operates on a ‘first come, first served’ approach.
Universities across Ukraine have been popular with international students due to the high-quality education on offer and relatively low fees [Amanda Coakley/Al Jazeera]
By Amanda Coakley
Záhony, Ukraine-Hungary border – After six years in Ukraine, Ayoub, a 25-year-old Moroccan pharmacy student, had built a life he was proud of in Kharkiv, a city in the country’s northeast. He learned the Russian language, which is widely spoken in the city of 1.4 million, studied Ukrainian culture, and made friends from around the world. He was due to graduate in three months, but
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced him to flee the country, and exposed him to a level of racism he had not previously experienced.
Initially, he had planned to wait out the invasion in Kharkiv, hoping the Russian assault would stop. But when that possibility appeared increasingly unlikely, he joined classmates to make a long trek across the country to the Polish border.
In Lviv, a city 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Polish frontier, it became clear to Ayoub that he, along with other non-white international students, would be stopped by Ukrainian guards from leaving the country.
“They wanted Ukrainians to go first, so it was white people who got priority. Taxi drivers were also charging us crazy money, but I thought there will always be opportunists, even in war. It wasn’t until I reached one of the ‘checkpoints’ on the approach to the Polish border that I was actually pushed back and told to wait,” he told Al Jazeera.
Instead of waiting, he decided to try crossing into Hungary, where he arrived on Wednesday.
“When I spoke to the guards in Russian, they told me I should be speaking Ukrainian and questioned whose side I was on. That was really upsetting because I had worked so hard to learn Russian, not just speak it, but read and write it as well.”
Moroccan students board a train to Budapest [Amanda Coakley/Al Jazeera]
Universities across Ukraine have attracted international students due to the high-quality education on offer for relatively low fees, ranging between $4,000 and $5,000 a year.
Students from countries such as India, Nigeria, and Morocco have helped to make Kharkiv a vibrant university city and their fees have contributed to the local economy. Many have stayed in Ukraine after graduating and taken jobs in the country’s hospitals and businesses.
But some international students said their schools did not offer them assistance to leave the country as Russian forces launched the invasion. In an email seen by Al Jazeera, dated February 24, the day of the invasion, students at one university received an email notifying them that classes would move online. Two days later, students at the same institution received an email announcing a “vacation” from February 28 to March 12.
“No one helped us to leave or coordinated anything, we were just left on our own,” said Deborah, a 19-year-old student from northern Nigeria. She asked Al Jazeera not to use her real name.
“My friends went to the Polish border and were treated awfully by the Ukrainian guards. It wasn’t just Black people like me; it was anyone who wasn’t white,” she added.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted allegations of discrimination by border guards and said it operated on a “first come, first served approach” that “applies to all nationalities” with priority given to women, children, and elderly people in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Ayoub is annoyed that his teachers still expect him back in class on March 12. “I understand they want to keep morale high, but I am afraid they will charge us, or stop our studies if we don’t go back. I don’t understand why they cannot just suspend everything until further notice.” The experience has been so emotionally draining, Ayoub doesn’t think he will ever feel the same way about Ukraine again.
It is a sentiment shared by Deborah and her sister Aliyah, 19, who also studies in Ukraine. “This country has given me so much. The people of Ukraine don’t deserve this war and like everyone, I cannot understand why this has happened. Seeing pictures of these beautiful cities being shelled is awful. But I’ve seen a side that I cannot forget,” Aliyah added.
In recent days, word has spread among the international students fleeing Ukraine that they will likely have an easier time crossing into Hungary than Poland due to the smaller numbers of people waiting to get in. Of the refugees Al Jazeera spoke to, none reported problems boarding a train to the small Hungarian village of Záhony.
“I can see when you’re under crazy pressure and your country is being attacked you can act in terrible ways, but at the end of the day, everyone was running from the same danger,” said Deborah.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA.

Warrmatt:
I think I am loving putin

I don't think you can love the man Putin as much as i do.

The man is an enigma to behold

WibusJaga:


Putin feeling like Superman now. He'd better humble himself & learn from history.

The idiots like you that supported the killing of those leaders in that offensive manners have all regreted their actions and I don't know what you're still doing with these gory pictures here. Americans didn't get this treatment for invading other nations. Isreal doesn't get condemned for killing Palestinians.


The decision to kill these men destroyed their countries forever and you fools are still making references to such monumental mistakes.

WibusJaga:


Putin feeling like Superman now. He'd better humble himself & learn from history.

Saddam right?

ayindejimmy:
Putin is paranoid.

He's a psychopath

If it were America trying to change another country's government, you will not call them psychopaths.

I have always questioned American foreign policies, so I should ordinarily be mad at Putin invading Ukraine.

But the reason why I have taken sides with Putin is because those against him (the West) are hypocrites, especially the United States and NATO countries like the UK and France.

WibusJaga:


Putin feeling like Superman now. He'd better humble himself & learn from history.

Your problem is that you don't read ,cause if you do you won't say this

Rostikol:


Don't mind them. They are still forming ''it is our sovereign right to do whatever we want.'' Of course the US would do exactly what Russia is doing if a pro-Kremlin regime sprang up next door to Florida.

Trump was a pro-Kremlin regime and Americans didn't go to war. You guys should get your facts right.