'Don't condone discrimination': Ukraine on 'unequal treatment' of foreign students

In an elaborate social media post, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “discrimination of any kind, which includes discrimination based on race, skin color or nationality, has never been condoned in Ukraine which has been a key destination for foreign students from all corners of the globe for decades”. “The Ukrainian government takes very seriously all accounts alleging unequal treatment, including when it comes to the crossing of the state border by foreign citizens,” it said.

New Delhi:The Ukrainian government on Sunday said it has taken seriously the allegations of “unequal treatment” of foreign nationals leaving war-torn Ukraine amid an intensifying Russian invasion of the country.

In an elaborate social media post, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “discrimination of any kind, which includes discrimination based on race, skin color or nationality, has never been condoned in Ukraine which has been a key destination for foreign students from all corners of the globe for decades”.

“The Ukrainian government takes very seriously all accounts alleging unequal treatment, including when it comes to the crossing of the state border by foreign citizens,” it said. The ministry said it continues to prioritize supporting foreign citizens to leave Ukraine as safely and as quickly as possible while claiming that over the past week, the government of Ukraine has assisted more than 130,000 foreigners to leave the country, including 10,000 Indian, 2,500 Chinese, 1,700 Turkmen and 200 Uzbek students.

It asked the diplomatic missions of other countries to be “more proactive in joining our efforts to evacuate their nationals from the conflict zones, and keep regular contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine”. As per the MFA, the Russian armed forces “continue to shell Ukrainian cities in violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

“This has a direct, negative impact on our ability to secure the safe evacuation of foreign citizens out of Ukraine. Russia’s armed aggression continues to result in the killing and maiming of innocent people, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and it continues to create obstacles for the safe departure of foreign citizens,” it said.

“We urge all foreign governments to demand from President Putin that he immediately stops his war on Ukraine. Please note that despite extremely difficult conditions, the Ukrainian government has continued to keep all checkpoints on the western border open, 24 hours a day. Checks and check-in operations have been simplified as much as possible and the list of necessary documents has been minimized”.

The MFA further asked the foreign citizens traversing the border to “comply with law and order and to act responsibly in light of the challenging situation”. “Those who are crossing are asked to have documents ready and to be as organized as possible. In addition, we ask that those crossing show mutual respect and understanding to everyone at the border during this extremely challenging time”.

The MFA's statement comes three days after the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said there were “credible reports of discrimination, violence and xenophobia against third country nationals attempting to flee the conflict in Ukraine”. The IOM had called upon neighboring states of Ukraine to ensure that those fleeing Ukraine were granted “unhindered access to territory, regardless of status and in accordance with International Humanitarian Law”.