Four Ecuadorian students suffer on the border, while escaping from the war.
Cristina Armendáriz, Melani Hernandez, Andrea Moral and Maia Balseca are stranded a few meters from Poland. They have suffered an ordeal. As soon as the war broke out, on Thursday, February 24, 2022, they left Kyiv. They haven’t eaten since yesterday, Friday. They haven’t slept either. They are in immigration control Kontrol’no-Propusknyy Punkt Sheyni.
They say they are afraid. Cristina’s voice cracks as she describes for a whatsapp audio what she is living with her friends in her attempt to evacuate Ukraine. They are the only four Latin American women. They say they are surrounded by men who have harassed them, pushed them. Their bags have been kicked. “There are too many men, we are worried. There’s no respect”.
Two of the young women had their plane ticket to Ecuador. They were going to leave Kiev. On February 24, 2022, they were at the airport and heard orders to evacuate. People stampeded out. Maya tearfully recounts that she heard explosions. They looked for alternatives.
They contacted a friend who took them to Lviv. After 15 hours by car, they arrived at the border city. That night they slept at another young woman’s house. There they met with two other Ecuadorians. The next day the journey began.
“We haven’t eaten, since we spent the whole day traveling. Please I need an answer urgently” writes Maia in a chat of Ecuadorians in Ukraine.
In the voice message he says that he is hungry, thirsty, cold – let’s remember that it is winter. They are cold. They wear masks, although nobody around wears them. “We have passed in the street” she says in the painful audio that she shared with La Hora. A few meters from entering PolandThey closed the doors on them. There was a stampede, jostling. The four Ecuadorians cry out for help.
As of today, Saturday, February 26, several Ecuadorians report closed borders. The Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Holguín, confirmed on Twitter this unilateral decision by Ukraine.
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