Tanzanian students fleeing Ukraine arrive in Russia

A group of Tanzanian students fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have arrived in Russia.

The students were studying at Sumy State University in northeastern Ukraine when the fighting started. The city lies about 48km from the border with Russia.

"The journey was tough because it involved both going by car and on foot. So we started our journey by car from hostel in Sumy to somewhere where we (were) dropped off and started walking. Then in the middle of the journey we took another car to somewhere, the last car we travelled with, and (then) we started again walking to the border" said Godfrey Fidolin Mhillu, one of the Tanzanian students.

The group of eleven students were given shelter at the Kursk State Medical University in Russia while they await for help from the Tanzanian embassy.

Viktor Lazarenko, rector at Kursk State Medical University in Russia, added that "eleven students of Sumy University arrived at night, students from Tanzania. We welcomed them and took them to the hostel number 4 of our university, the Kursk Medical University. They washed, changed clothes, we gave them food, provided a place to sleep and a thorough medical examination".

Many students including large groups from India and Nigeria continue to hide in Sumy waiting for humanitarian corridors to be set up.