Appeal - Carlow Student Stranded in Ukraine

[silverbullet]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

[silverbullet]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

[Rat Catcher]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

[silverbullet]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

IRISH

NEWS

BLACK

OUT.

[Rat Catcher]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

IRISH

NEWS

BLACK

OUT.

Aaah, I see... the lad who wrote Nigerian under the photo must be right... sure it's on the internet and everything.

... and to think there's folk who believe there are other folk gullible enough to believe everything they want to believe... the mind boggles!

[silverbullet]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

IRISH

NEWS

BLACK

OUT.

Aaah, I see... the lad who wrote Nigerian under the photo must be right... sure it's on the internet and everything.

... and to think there's folk who believe there are other folk gullible enough to believe everything they want to believe... the mind boggles!

Perhaps the author is Nigerian too.

[Rat Catcher]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

IRISH

NEWS

BLACK

OUT.

Aaah, I see... the lad who wrote Nigerian under the photo must be right... sure it's on the internet and everything.

... and to think there's folk who believe there are other folk gullible enough to believe everything they want to believe... the mind boggles!

Perhaps the author is Nigerian too.

As well as who?

[John m]

Are any of you brave enough not to take advice from some random person on the internet .

[silverbullet]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0303/1284313-student-stranded-ukraine/

Sister appeals for help for student stranded in Ukraine

Updated / Friday, 4 Mar 2022 14:30

By Joseph Okoh

The family of a 19-year-old Irish medical student who is stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have appealed for more help to bring her home.

Racheal Diyaolu, from Carlow, has been confined to her student accommodation in Sumy, some 200km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, since the conflict began.

Her sister, Christiana Diyaolu, says her family are "scared and devastated" that she hasn't been able to leave yet.

"She has sent us videos of what it's like in the bunkers. It seems a cold and lonely environment. Our mum can't believe this is happening. She is distraught."

In a video recorded for RTÉ News yesterday, Racheal described how it was now "almost impossible" for her to leave Ukraine, due to the collapse of public transport and the distance she would have to travel to reach the borders of neighbouring countries.



Christiana said: "There are barriers. Her location is really bad. To get to a border safely is a 20-hour journey. And she'd have to pass through bombs, shootings and military action.

"We have also heard how black people are facing racism at the borders too. So it's scary to think that my sister could do this journey, get to the border and still be turned away. It's horrible."

Racheal, who was due to make a trip home to Ireland later this month, has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who, she says, advised her "to stay put".

Earlier this week, the Department said that consular assistance is being provided.

Christiana said: "I wish I could get more help from the people who have power to bring her home. There has been no update or action from them. This is the first time Racheal has been away from home. We just want her to come home."

Meanwhile a woman from Dublin who has been using social media to document day-to-day life in the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says she hopes to leave today.

Marina Golodnikova has been staying in Ukraine's second largest city with her six-year-old son.

She has been using TikTok and Instagram to provide updates on how they are coping in a city under siege.

In a video posted last night, Ms Golodnikova said: "One week since the war started and it feels like another life. My city has been almost destroyed. But people's spirit is as strong as ever. Putin is not going to get what he wants. But who knows what he wants? He's a madman. We are going to rebuild, and Ukraine is going to be better than ever."

In the three-and-a-half minute video, Ms Golodnikova says city workers in Kharkiv have been "fixing everything" and describes them as "heroes, the same as our military. Doing their job, under constant threat of death."

She explains that she will be leaving the city in a vehicle organised by "a friend of a friend of a friend." She says that trying to leave by train would have been "a nightmare".

Fire engines attend the aftermath of shelling by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (Getty Images)
In another video published yesterday, a series of loud explosions can be heard in the locality. Ms Golodnikova adds that "40 plus residential buildings are on fire and hundreds of power outages."

On Wednesday, Ms Golodnikova posted a video explaining that her old school and local subway station had been bombed, describing the scene as "like something from World War II".

In a lighter moment, she also explains how pupils at her son's school - Castle Park in Dublin - had sent him a video "saying that they missed him and loved him." She also says she cried when she saw that they had put his name, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in a classroom window.

Just 50km from the Russian border, Kharkiv has experienced some of the most ferocious air and rocket attacks by Russian forces since the war began last week.

Concluding last night's video post, Ms Golodnikova, the co-owner of an Irish online house plant business, sounded a defiant note. "We are going to win. We are going to be great again."

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling
Students, mostly Nigerian, stranded in town 40km from the northeast border which has become a war zone

Russia-Ukraine war: live updates
Passengers, including evacuees from the cities of Sumy and Kyiv, gather outside a railway station upon their arrival in Lviv, Ukraine on 25 February.
02:12
Student stranded in Ukraine: 'The fear is: how long will we be like this?' – video
Emmanuel Akinwotu, Julian Borger and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 3 Mar 2022 22.13 GMT

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s northeast border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all suddenly found themselves stranded in a war zone.



The students have remained in five hostel buildings since the Russian invasion began last week, after advice from their university to stay behind – even as many Ukrainian students fled.


Oluwaseun Adefemi, a Nigerian medical student who arrived in Sumy in January, said that food and water supplies were already running low and it was no longer safe to head to local stores.

“We are hearing blasts every day. We have to run into our bunkers each time. Yesterday we heard the blasts at six or seven in the morning. When we hear them, we run to the basement – that’s our makeshift bunker,” he said, speaking by telephone late on Wednesday.

“We are running out of food, we’re running out of water. What we have now is mainly soda water,” Adefemi said.

While the conflict has so far mainly focused on the outskirts of the city, fears are rising that troops may soon enter the city.

Adefami said that many of the students felt let down by the university. “We expected that the school would give us the best information. They told us to stay in our hostel, to stock and buy food that we’d need for the days ahead. If we’d have known we’d have gone to neighbouring cities – but now we are stuck.”



Before the conflict, thousands of international students were studying in Ukraine, drawn by low fees and living costs and the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa.

Some students said they had initially stayed because they feared they would have to retake classes and pay further tuition and accommodation fees if they left.

Racheal Diyaolu, a 19-year-old medical student from Carlow, is one of three Irish students in the group who arrived in Ukraine in November. She said was reassured by tutors two weeks ago that Russian threats of invasion were just that.



While the sounds of “bangs and ammunition” surround them, the students have been told that Sumy remains under Ukrainian control, she said.

“It’s up and down. We are safe for the time being, but it can get scary at times,” she said. In phone calls last week and again on Wednesday, Ireland’s department for foreign affairs had advised her to stay put for the moment, she said.

Diyaolu was more concerned for her mother back in Ireland, she said. “She is very very worried. It is not an easy thing for any mother to go through but I just hope I will be home soon”.

Not sure why you imagine an Irish student would be "returned" anywhere other than Ireland.

As per previous post repatriation seems to be underway, thankfully.

It must be a slow news day. Does she play GAA or Camogie?

Snap just released:

Released by whom... one of the sites that prey on gullible morons that will assume writing Nigerian under the photograph constitutes an official change of nationality?

IRISH

NEWS

BLACK

OUT.

Aaah, I see... the lad who wrote Nigerian under the photo must be right... sure it's on the internet and everything.

... and to think there's folk who believe there are other folk gullible enough to believe everything they want to believe... the mind boggles!

Perhaps the author is Nigerian too.

As well as who?

Google Carlow born & bred and see how long it takes before the young student's picture appears.

[silverbullet]

If these were genuine medical students, where better to learn their trade than in a war zone? These people are doing a runner.

They'll probably try learning to swim on dry land.

[silverbullet]

If these were genuine medical students, where better to learn their trade than in a war zone? These people are doing a runner.

They'll probably try learning to swim on dry land.

Can you study Medicine in Carlow I.T.?

[Rat Catcher]

If these were genuine medical students, where better to learn their trade than in a war zone? These people are doing a runner.

They'll probably try learning to swim on dry land.

We'll need them here with the influx of unvaccinated Ukrainian refugess.

[silverbullet]

If these were genuine medical students, where better to learn their trade than in a war zone? These people are doing a runner.

They'll probably try learning to swim on dry land.

We'll need them here with the influx of unvaccinated Ukrainian refugess.

Knowing our amateur football manager and HSE chief Paul Reid,we'll end up taking in 60,000 U.K.Iranians!

[Rat Catcher]

I'd hazard a wager that the majority of the population can't even remember the name of the last young lady that was knifed to death by an Eastern European immigrant.

[Octavia1]

Irish emigrant... stranded in Ukraine.

Yur at it again    ....first yu started callin them immigrants...then migrants ....now ther emigrants .... Will yu make up yur mind ffs ...