Black immigrants have reported experiencing racism and being stopped from fleeing to security as Russia continues its assault in opposition to Ukraine.

Greater than 500,000 refugees have fled from Ukraine into neighboring nations since Russian invaded its neighbor final week.

However African college students trapped within the nation have taken to social media to doc the hurdles and hostility they've confronted whereas attempting to flee, elevating consciousness for his or her plight utilizing the hashtag #AfricansInUkraine on Twitter.

A number of movies which have gone viral on social media seem to point out Black folks being denied entry to trains, together with one which confirmed Ukrainian forces apparently pushing a Black lady off a prepare however permitting a white lady aboard.

Different movies captured ugly incidents at border crossings and African immigrants left stranded, together with one clip that captured a Black lady feeding her two-month-old child in freezing temperatures.

A Nigerian pupil at Ukraine's border with Poland shared movies on Twitter that confirmed Polish border guards apparently threatening to shoot African college students attempting to cross over from Ukraine.

"Their Police and Military refused to let Africans cross they solely permit Ukrainian," the scholar wrote alongside the clip. "Some have slept right here for two days below this scorching chilly climate, whereas many have gone again to Lviv."

In one other tweet, the scholar wrote: "They really needed to crush us with their bus, and even pointed weapons at us whereas we have been shouting 'we're college students, permit us to cross' as a result of we did not permit them to cross their folks first earlier than us. We compelled our means in, and so they gave up."

The coed has been contacted for extra remark.

One other pupil, Gabriel, instructed the BBC that border guards have been "simply so heartless... they handled us like animals."

Korrine Sky, a pupil physician who instructed Newsweek that she was nonetheless at Ukraine's border with Romania on Monday, shared a video on Twitter exhibiting a person circling the automobile she was touring in.

"Now we have reached the precise border experiencing some threats of violence from some native Ukrainians who do not consider we must always enter," she wrote.

In an Instagram livestream on Sunday, Sky mentioned there had been "a variety of segregation and racism."

"There's been a variety of segregation and racism from the individuals who've managed to truly get to the passport management. It appears there's a hierarchy of Ukrainians first, Indians second, Africans final," she mentioned.

"So there was a variety of segregation in that sense after which among the many communities attempting to flee to Ukraine, there's been a variety of violence amongst folks. So it is a very tense state of affairs."

Ukraine is house to tens of 1000's of African college students learning drugs, engineering and different topics at inexpensive costs.

A fundraiser to assist African and Caribbean college students stranded in Ukraine has raised greater than $26,000 (£20,000). One of many fundraiser's organizers, Tokunbo Koiki, instructed British broadcaster ITV Information that she was impressed to launch the attraction after seeing the movies circulating on social media.

"Persons are scared," she mentioned. "Persons are actually, actually terrified. Particularly for the folks within the main cities who're at present below assault."

On Twitter, activist Shaun King reported that it wasn't solely Black folks experiencing discrimination at border crossings.

"It is not simply Africans having bother crossing, however ALL immigrants of shade together with Indians, Latinos, Arabs," King wrote on Twitter on Sunday, citing conservations with folks throughout Ukraine. "European immigrants crossing simply."

In one other tweet, King wrote: "To be clear, authorities officers in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary are SAYING they are going to welcome all folks crossing over from Ukraine, however these coverage statements nonetheless haven't been carried out at those self same borders. Every border, right now, remains to be having ugly incidents of racism."

Men fleeing the conflict
Males fleeing the battle carry their suitcases on their heads as they stroll previous queuing vehicles in direction of the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing between Ukraine and Poland on February 28, 2022. Daniel Leal/AFP through Getty Photos