Over 500,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country last Thursday, according to reports.
But video footage shows that not everyone has been able to adequately leave the country.
African students took to social media to “document the hurdles and hostility they have faced while trying to flee, raising awareness for their plight using the hashtag #AfricansInUkraine on Twitter,” Newsweek reports.
One Twitter user said some migrants have slept at the Ukraine-Poland border for two days and face threats of being shot, and others noted that they have been pushed out of trains to make way for Ukrainians or blocked from entering.
On an Instagram live, one medical student who goes by @korinnesky on Twitter said, “There’s been a lot of segregation and racism from the people who’ve managed to actually get to the passport control. It seems there is a hierarchy of Ukrainians first, Indians second, Africans last,” as Newsweek reported.
In light of these conditions, Atlanta rapper Young Thug took to his Instagram stories to rally support for the migrants. “If some of my rap brothers are in I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine however I can [since] they not letting us pass,” he posted.
He then asked for contact information to support those trying to flee.
Thousands of students had migrated to the country for affordable higher education, with Nigeria among the top 5 countries of origin for Ukraine’s international students. Indians are the top group of international students who have moved to the country for their studies, comprising 20% of the international student population.
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have reportedly begun today to seek some resolution between the countries.
According to the New York Times, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that her office had recorded 102 civilian deaths, including seven children, and more than 300 people injured as of Sunday night. “The real figures are, I fear, considerably higher,” Ms. Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.