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As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, bombing major cities such as Kharkiv, CNN journalist Bijan Hosseini has described his sister’s incredible 108-hour journey to Poland, during which she faced “racism,” injuries, and sub-zero temperatures.
“During her escape, she was subjected to racism, injuries, subzero temperatures, and sleep deprivation. Her story is just one of hundreds of thousands of people attempting to flee “he wrote on Tuesday in a Twitter thread.
The journalist stated that his sister is adopted and from Sierra Leone and that this played a significant role in her departure.
Separate lines were formed at the border with Poland – one for white people and the other for everyone else, he said, adding that his sister was subjected to the racist treatment that thousands of others have reported at Ukrainian borders, bus, and train stations.
When the war broke out, Mr. Hosseini’s sister was in Kyiv. She attempted to leave with her friends, but “cars were at a standstill” from the capital to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine near the Polish border.
“They were able to locate a driver who agreed to take them to Dnipro (a city in eastern Ukraine near Russia’s border). They hoped to catch a bus or train to Lviv from there. For a 7-hour journey, the driver charged them $700 “Mr. Hosseini depicted it on a map.
When they arrived in Dnipro, they discovered that buses and trains were not operating, so they begged the driver to take them to Kyiv. He agreed to do so for an additional $1,500.
“They crammed into a small sedan. There were eight of them, including a 13-month-old infant. Prepared for their 15-hour trip back west, “he wrote, along with a video of the group crammed into the car.
When they arrived in Lviv, the driver stated that he would continue and get them to the border. According to the journalist, he apparently changed his mind after 30 hours on the road and said he had to return to Kyiv. “My sister and her friends had to get out of the car and walk to the border,” he explained, sharing a video of the group walking with their bags and belongings.
“They were denied entry when they arrived at the border. There were two lines formed. One is for white people, and the other is for everyone else. Only Ukrainians were permitted to cross the border. Thousands of people were forced to sleep outside in the freezing weather. To keep people warm, fires were lit “He stated.
His sister passed out the next morning, exhausted from all the walking, and have not gotten enough sleep or food in days. She was picked up at the border by an ambulance and driven 4 miles back east.
They got a ride back to Lviv after leaving the hospital and hoped to get a bus ticket out. What was supposed to be a 2:30 bus ride from Lviv to Przemysl, Poland, ended up taking 24 hours.
