Updated 03 March at 5:51pm (paris)
Videos posted to Twitter show distressed Africans being barred from entering trains which are currently one of the only safe methods of transportation out of Ukraine.
The official visuals of Ukrainians blocking Africans from getting on trains. #AfricansinUkraine pic.twitter.com/hJYpM3LY0A
— Damilare / ViF (@Damilare_arah) February 26, 2022
The Russian invasion has led to widespread terror as millions try to flee violence while Ukraine’s major cities struggle to maintain resistance.
On 26 February, Polish citizens Jan and Anna (real names changed for security reasons), were returning to Poland from Lviv in Western Ukraine, as part of a volunteer group. Speaking to The Africa Report from Poland, Anna says: “The situation at the border was very bad. Thousands of people were standing at the [train] doors and trying to get to the country.”

© Train from Lviv, Ukraine heading to Poland. (Photo credit: Anna and Jan)
According to the couple, women, children, and African students are separated into groups to board the train.
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