Two Ghanaian students in war-hit Ukraine have been describing the melee that has been triggered by the ongoing Russian-led invasion.
The students say many Ghanaian nationals who are in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and surrounding towns in pursuing higher education are in dire need of government assistance to move out of the nation.
One of them, Dr Araba Maame Arkoah, told the media that Ghanaians living or schooling in Ukraine are in fear over the seeming silence of the Ghanaian government on their conditions in the country following the tensions.
“We are asking ourselves if the government of Ghana has not heard what is happening here? We keep getting scared, we really need the help of the government. As it stands now, we need to come home. I’m scared, very scared, everybody around me is scared,” she told the media.
Dr Arkoah said an airport just 30 minutes drive from her residence has been hit by a Russian explosive.
Another student, Kwasi Mintah said: “For this morning we’ve heard a number of explosions. There about 900 students and in total, we have about 1500 Ghanaians in Ukraine. The Ghanaians here are panicking, they are afraid”.
Russian forces have launched a military assault on neighbouring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.
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In a TV statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and demanded that its military lay down its arms.
Moments later, attacks were reported on Ukrainian military targets.
Ukraine said that “Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, Ghana's ministry of foreign affairs has advised Ghanaians in Ukraine to seek shelter.
Also, International Relations Expert and Security Analyst, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso, is of the opinion that it is unsafe to evacuate Ghanaians in Ukraine because the airspace is currently porous.
He said though the Government might be concerned about its citizens in Ukraine following the invasion of that country by Russia, it was not secure and convenient to evacuate them using the regular routes.
He asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work out a contingency plan and find alternative evacuation routes for the thousands of Ghanaians, including students in Ukraine.