Millions have attempted to flee Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion of the country that began on 24 February. Meanwhile, the Russian army continues to bomb capital city Kyiv and other major cities like Kharkiv.
Among those fleeing was the sister of CNN journalist Bijan Hosseini who, according to Hosseini, faced racism while trying to escape.
"My sister was trapped in #Ukraine. This is a thread about her incredible journey to reach #Poland. During her escape, she experienced #racism, injuries, freezing temps and sleep deprivation. Her story is only one of the hundreds of thousands of people trying to get out," he tweeted.
When the Russians invaded, she, along with her companions, who were staying in Kyiv, tried to escape as early as possible.
The group eventually decided to leave their heavy belongings behind to speed up their journey.
Then they finally arrived at the Ukraine-Poland border, and that is when the racism began.
"When they arrived to the border they were not let in. Two lines were formed. One for White people, the other for everyone else. Only Ukrainians were being let over the border. Thousands of people were forced to sleep outside in the cold. Fires were started to keep people warm," Hosseini said.
Hosseini lamented over how "they were met with the same racist treatment that thousands of others have reported at borders, bus and train stations across the country."
"My sister is lucky. She's safe, in a hotel where she was finally able to shower and sleep in a bed. There are still thousands of people in her shoes trapped on the other side. More than half a million refugees have fled Ukraine, during the Russian invasion, according to the UN," Hosseini wrote in his final tweet of the thread.
Another video on Twitter showed how Ukrainian forces were, while handling a crowd of refugees, pushing aside a Black girl while they allow a white girl to go through.
Indian students have faced similar experiences at the border while trying to leave.
"They were very cruel. The second checkpoint was the worst. When they opened the gate for you to cross to the Ukrainian border, you stay between the Ukraine and Poland, the Ukrainian army don't allow Indian men and boys to cross when you get there. They only allowed the Indian girls to get in. We had to literally cry and beg at their feet. After the Indian girls got in, the boys were beaten up. There was no reason for them to beat us with this cruelty," Ijantkar said.
Then, one Nigerian student told the BBC that an official told her, “If you are Black, you should walk.” She had made it to Hungary and was trying to get to her home in Nigeria. She said: “If your skin is dark, you’re at a disadvantage.”
Even the the United Nations has acknowledged that non-European refugees have faced discrimination while trying to cross the Ukrainian border, particularly Black and brown refugees.
Their experiences were initially dismissed as lies and “Russian disinformation” by online commentators. But during a press conference on 1 March, Filippo Grandi, the organisation’s High Commissioner for Refugees, acknowledged the plight of non-Ukrainians fleeing.
"There has been a different treatment (...). There should be absolutely no discrimination between Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians, Europeans and non-Europeans. Everyone is fleeing from the same risks," as quoted by The Independent.
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