Students in Ukraine are concerned about their well-being. They say the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not sought to offer any assistance and have repeatedly communicated that they are pursuing private studies.

Left in the cold

Jamaican students in Ukraine accuse Gov’t of unresponsiveness as Russia war rhetoric intensifies

7 Feb 2022/Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter

 

THERE IS mounting unease among several Jamaican students pursuing tertiary studies in Ukraine who are without the relevant visas required to leave on short notice, as tension between the Eastern European country and Russia heightens.

The students have also expressed disappointment in the Holness administration which, they say, has left them to fend for themselves, amid growing reports in international media that Russia is preparing troops to invade the country, seven years after its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine which soured relations.

Moscow is now accusing Kiev of failing to honour a 2015 peace deal.

The agreement was a diplomatic coup for Russia, requiring Ukraine to grant broad autonomy to rebel regions after it annexed Crimea, and offer a sweeping amnesty to Russianbacked rebels.

Five of the 42 students who spoke to The Gleaner last week, on condition of anonymity and out of fear of being victimised, said more than half the group travelled to the country, transiting through others that did not require visas.

They foresee difficulty utilising those same avenues to return to the island or moving to other countries, should they have to flee Ukraine, where they say conditions are “pretty normal”, despite claims from Washington that Russia has built up at least 70 per cent of the military firepower it intends to have in place by mid-month, to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion.

Russia has consistently denied reports of an attack in the coming weeks, calling it scaremongering.

“It is in view of these continuing uncertainties in Ukraine that the embassy is making contact with you once again ... . As we move forward, the embassy is suggesting that you consider your options at this time and commence preparing yourselves to leave on short notice, if required,” chargé d’affaires at the Jamaican Embassy in Berlin, Denise Sealey, said in an email dated January 31, which was sent to students.

Sealey said students’ preparations should include checking the availability of flights and ensuring that they have valid visas for the United Kingdom, Schengen countries, or the United States US), to facilitate transit arrangements.

But several of the students, the majority of whom are pursuing studies in medicine in Kharkiv, are without travel documents, which means that they would have transited through Panama, Turkey, or Germany to get to Ukraine.

Their unease lies in the fact that there are no available appointment dates for the US for the remainder of this year and well into next year. The same goes for the UK and Schengen visas, the students have said, owing to a slowdown in processing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the students, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not sought to offer any assistance by leveraging diplomatic channels to facilitate processing, leaving them in limbo.

“We have had talks with officials from the Jamaican Government over the years that reassured us of their care and interest in our well-being, but, this year, the reassurance was not there and the response we got was leaning more towards us being on our own,” one student told The Gleaner.

“Yes, we came to Ukraine on our own, but as much as the Government would claim us as products of Jamaica if we did something extraordinary worth world recognition, they should claim and reassure us as citizens of Jamaica in a foreign land with political instability.”

Asked by The Gleaner last Thursday what assistance it had offered to the Jamaicans, the ministry said the embassy in Berlin, which has oversight of Ukraine, has been in regular communication with students, and held a briefing that

that same day concerning the situation.

The ministry said that it provided guidance and responses to their questions.

“The students of whom the ministry is aware, who are all engaged in private arrangements for study, have been encouraged to make preparations in the event that they decide to leave the country on short notice,” the ministry said when quizzed on the arrangements made to bring the Jamaicans home.

It said that nationals were being encouraged to advise the embassy of any emergency developments and of their decisions whether or not to leave if the situation deteriorates.

“They have not addressed the fact that they have stated they can’t assist in getting visas, as neither the US nor British embassies are accepting applications ,” another student said, adding that the document is “vital” to their evacuation plans.

“We genuinely feel neglected by the Jamaican Government and are saying that, if it is that we find alternate routes to come and help build Jamaica, why can’t Jamaica support us too?” the student added, noting that the ministry has repeatedly communicated that they are pursuing private studies.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it is aware of 12 Jamaicans currently in Russia, eight of whom are pursuing studies. It said the Jamaicans have not reported any concerns at this time.

 

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