Ukrainians ‘terrified, confused’ amid Russian attacks

“Peaceful life in Ukraine ended today,” says Vasylchuk Gennadiy, Deputy at the City Council of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, as ongoing Russian attacks on the country have been consistent since this morning’s early hours.

Gennadiy, a local official and Vice-Rector for Science and Research at the University of Zaporizhzhya, told Hespress EN in an interview that “the situation is very tense,” but that “we have a strong belief in our government and people, to keep things under control.”

The official added that “out of caution, our university has decided to suspend classes for 48 hours, in light of the new lives we are now leading.”

Zaporizhzhya University is not alone, according to Hespress EN sources on the ground, Ukrainians are “scared” and “don’t fully understand what is happening,” prompting various authorities to recommend civilians stay home and await instructions from the government.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian missiles hit targets in Kharkiv and Dnipro this morning, according to Ukrainian officials.

Macha Maria, a Ukrainian national living in Kharkiv in a house 30km from the border told Hespress EN that she “woke up at 5 am at the sound of explosions.”

A “ significant police and military presence” was deployed across the region, says Maria, who despite the worrying situation and looming uncertainty maintains the belief that “things will be calmer in a few days,” and that “Ukrainians will defeat the invaders.”

Ukraine’s state emergency services said that attacks were launched against 10 Ukrainian regions, primarily in the east and south of the country. Several planes were hit at airports, according to a statement from the department.

“I’m really worried about my family in Ukraine,” Anna, who’s been living in France for 10y, tells me. “My sister left Kyiv to join my parents in the countryside, as she thinks it might be safer there.” Anna is one of roughy 200 protesters in Paris. #RussiaUkraineConflict pic.twitter.com/dGGGwW3CQx

— Lisa Louis (@weissercappu) February 24, 2022

Footage from a border crossing this Thursday morning showed Russian military vehicles entering the European country through Crimea, in addition to incoming attacks from Russian and Belarus territories.

An explosion was reported in the capital Kyiv in a Livestream video today, while other outlets are showing smoke rising from Kherson International Airport in the south of Ukraine, a region bordering annexed Crimea. Air raid sirens can be heard in the capital since this morning.

Denys Verteletskyi, a Ukrainian civil activist confirmed to Hespress EN that “there are active attacks on Kyiv,” as Russian troops are currently “attempting to make way to Ukrainian territories through surrounding maritime routes,” after attacks launched from the eastern border.

Verteletskyi’s family, living in a military zone near the Donbas region, an epicenter of the Russian offensive, “were attacked twice this morning,” resulting in “multiple destructions and a number of victims.”

“People are panicking,” as two of the major Ukrainian news outlets’ streams have been cut off, “potentially due to the attack on the capital,” says our source.

After weeks of heightened tensions, Ukrainian’s strong attachment to their homeland, their trust in their government, and unwavering strength in the face of Russian aggression are commendable.

In the meantime, Moroccan students in Ukrainian are “terrified,” as the reality sets in. Salma El Kiram, a Moroccan Automotive Engineering student in Kharkiv, took to Instagram to “urge Moroccan authorities to intervene through repatriation flights,” as she says she and her fellow Moroccans are stuck in the midst of the violence.

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Salma pleaded for help, saying that “the explosion sounds are getting closer and closer,” and that despite early optimism and calm, Moroccans are “frightened” as the threat of war became a lived reality.