Thousands of young Arabs who took up studies in Ukraine, are appealing to be rescued from a new nightmare -- Russia's incursion of the country.
More than 10,000 Arab students attend university in Ukraine, drawn to the former Soviet republic by a low cost of living and, for many, the lure of relative safety compared with their own troubled homelands.
Many have criticised their governments for failing to take concrete measures to repatriate them, and sought refuge in basements or the metro system. Few dared to cross the border into neighbouring Poland or Romania in search of sanctuary.
Among Arab countries, Morocco has the largest number of students in Ukraine, with around 8,000 enrolled in universities, followed by Egypt with more than 3,000.
"We left Iraq to escape war... but it's the same thing in Ukraine (now)," Ali Mohammed, an Iraqi student told AFP by telephone from the western city of Chernivtsi. "We are demanding to go home. We are waiting to be rescued," he said.
According to an Iraqi government official, there are 5,500 Iraqis in Ukraine, 450 of them students.
SWIFT waits for legal instruction
The SWIFT international payments system said it was preparing to implement Western nations' new measures targeting certain Russian banks in coming days.
"We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction," it said in a statement.
The Western allies announced the moves in a joint statement as part of a new round of financial sanctions meant to “hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin."
The central bank restrictions target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal, and are meant to block Russia's ability to support the ruble as it plunges in value amid tightening Western sanctions.
Russian missiles hit terminal, pipeline in Ukraine
Russian missiles have hit the Ukrainian town of Vasylkiv southwest of the capital, Kiev, setting an oil terminal ablaze, the town's mayor said in a video posted online.
"The enemy wants to destroy everything around," said the mayor, Natalia Balasinovich.
Separately, Russian forces also hit a gas pipeline in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv.
Photographs and videos posted online showed large flames rising under the night sky.
US offers to evacuate President Zelensky
Russian and Ukrainian forces are clashing in the Ukrainian capital, with a US official confirming that Washington has offered to evacuate President Volodymyr Zelensky from Kiev.
This is the third day of the conflict, with clashes having already reached the streets of Kiev, but French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Saturday that the world must brace for a long war.
"This crisis will last, this war will last and all the crises that come with it will have lasting consequences," Macron said at an agriculture fair in France. "We must be prepared".
Zelensky said he had spoken by phone with Macron and that Western "partners" were sending weapons to fight Russian troops.
"Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working!" the comedian-turned-politician tweeted.
Zelensky was quoted as having told the US government that he needed anti-tank ammunition, “not a ride”, after he was offered a safe evacuation from Kiev.
Local media reports said “heavy, frequent artillery fire” was heard near government buildings in Kiev in the early hours of Saturday. Interfax Ukraine agency said Russian forces were trying to capture one of the capital city's electricity generating stations.
The Ukrainian president's pledge to fight on came after the Kremlin accepted his offer to hold talks. His whereabouts were being kept secret.
"We will not put down weapons, we will defend our state," he said, speaking in a video message from outside his Kiev office.
Zelenskiy's defiant remarks also came after his spokesman said Ukraine and Russia would consult in coming hours on a time and place for talks.
The Kremlin said it offered to meet in the Belarusian capital Minsk after Ukraine had expressed a willingness to discuss declaring itself a neutral country while Ukraine had proposed Warsaw as the venue.
On Friday, Zelensky had lamented that he had been "left alone" by the West. "Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don't see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid,” he said in a post-midnight video address.
Kiev officials were warning residents early Saturday that street fighting was underway and urged people to seek shelter.
At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed so far, the head of the Ukrainian health ministry was quoted as saying.
He said 1,115 people were wounded, including 33 children. It was unclear whether he was referring only to civilian casualties.
With Zelensky remaining defiant, the Russian military continued its advance, laying claim to Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people in southeast Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired cruise missiles from the Black Sea at Mariupol as well as Sumy in the northeast and Poltava in the east.
Russia's defense ministry said their forces used air- and ship-based cruise missiles to carry out overnight strikes on military targets in Ukraine. It said Russian troops had hit hundreds of military infrastructure targets and destroyed several aircraft and dozens of tanks and armored and artillery vehicles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced the launch of an operation to eliminate what he called a serious threat to his country, citing the need to "denazify" Ukraine and accusing its Western-backed leadership of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.
Western countries have announced a barrage of sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting its banks and banning technology exports. But they have stopped short of forcing it out of the SWIFT system for international bank payments, fearing it would harm their own economies.
Energy prices rising in Europe
The military conflict is also leaving its impact on energy prices in Europe, raising concerns about gas supplies next winter.
Wholesale gas and power prices spiked this week after Germany stopped certification for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was supposed to pump Russian has to Europe. Germany did so to punish Russia over the Ukraine conflict.
And on Thursday, gas prices increased by 60 percent. Before that, gas and power prices already reached record highs this winter due to several issues including low gas inventories.
High power prices were a major factor behind soaring inflation in Europe. Now, things are expected to become more difficult in the months to come, especially next winter, in case Russian gas flows are interrupted. Currently, Russia supplies around 40 percent of Europe's gas.
Medvedev: No need for diplomatic ties with West
Former president and top security official Dmitry Medvedev said Russia doesn't really need diplomatic ties with the West.
Medvedev, writing on social media Saturday, said it was time to "padlock the embassies". He said Moscow would continue its operation in Ukraine until it achieved goals defined by Putin.
At the United Nations, Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution deploring its operation.
The White House asked Congress for $6.4 billion in security package, officials said, and Biden instructed the US State Department to release $350 million in military aid.
Comments
Add new comment