Some African citizens living in Ukraine have reported racist discrimination and abuse at the border as they try to flee the country amid the Russian invasion, NBC News reports.
Alexander Somto Orah, 25, was among thousands of people crowding a Kyiv train station Friday, hoping he and his friends could get to safety at the Polish border. Orah said officials wouldn’t allow the group of Africans to board trains out of the region.
"I said: ‘You say Ukrainians only, but I don’t see you checking passports. I see you picking white people only,’" Orah told NBC News. "The train was not filled before they left, but they never picked us."
Videos on social media have shown officials appearing to threaten to shoot groups of African students, a woman shielding an infant from the cold, officials chasing groups of people and people reported to be stranded in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry called on relevant agencies to support foreign citizens but appeared to dismiss the reports of discrimination as Russian propaganda. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs, tweeted Tuesday that Africans needed to evacuate the country safely.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com.
