The Long Way Home

Like so many others, what seemed like a normal day for Nigerian student, Oreva, quickly turned to terror when the blinding flash of an explosion erupted near his student accommodation in Ukraine. He knew that he needed to flee the country for his safety, but what he didn't know was the hardships he would face on the journey to safety.

Whilst his story is shocking, it is certainly not isolated. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February, it's estimated that nearly 4 million people have fled the country, with many of these being non-white international students from African nations such as Ghana and other countries like India. Using photos obtained exclusively by The Breaker, we will detail just some of the trials and tribulations faced by Oreva and two others: Mohammed Raihan Thufail and Taiwah Obed joined millions of other people in escaping the war.

Tawiah is a Ghanaian student who, like Oreva, decided to flee to Poland when war started. Over the last month, Poland has taken in around 2.3 million refugees, a number that is almost equal to the population of the nation's capital, Warsaw.

The first picture depicts international students of various nationalities waiting at the Shehyini border between Ukraine and Poland. Tawiah reports that they were there for many hours in freezing temperatures, largely without food and water.

In the second picture, an Indian man is carried away in a daze after reportedly being beaten by guards. Many non-white students fleeing Ukraine have described discriminatory violence perpetrated by Ukrainian border guards. In the third picture, Tawiah claims that guards are pushing and shouting at Africans; an occurence that has been captured and shared by many African people fleeing Ukraine, causing outrage. After a 12 hour journey to the Polish border on foot, Tawiah says that he asked for water and was turned down by the patrol team. He added that black people were apparently not allowed to cross the border until day two.

According to some, this violence has spilled over into Poland; the country these people are fleeing in order to feel safe. The Guardian reported that some people of colour are facing racially motivated violence and abuse at the hands of nationalists in areas such as Przemysl. Police say these have been spurred by fake reports of crimes committed by non-white refugees that have crossed the border.

Indian students rest in a bunker in Kyiv after a long day.

This raw video shot by Indian student Mohammed Raihan Thufail shows a shelter that students were forced to inhabit on the way to the Romanian border. Bombs rained down above as they slept on makeshift beds.

Soldiers fortify the roads with tank traps. Mohammed captured this from his hostel room in Kyiv, before being moved to the bunker.

The above may give an impression of an abjectly frightening and traumatic experience for non-white refugees fleeing Ukraine, and this journey is undoubtedly arduous for them in its own unique way. But for some, the journey's end is not always a miserable one.

Mohammed reports that on arrival to Romania, him, his friends and other refugees were given flowers. Yellow and white tulips to mark the beginning of spring, and, possibly, a deeper symbolism, with the white representing peace whilst yellow is reminiscent of friendship.

As well as flowers, they were provided with more edible gifts in the form of a small plate of rice, cheese and peppers; a welcome relief after such a long, tiring journey to safety.

However, the gifts did not stop there, with an unexpected surprise waiting for Mohammed and others in Romania.

What waited behind the Romanian border was a welcome taste of home comforts for Mohammed and his Indian counterparts.

Chef Bogdan Campeanu, consulting chef and owner of Bucharest-based culinary school "Chef Consulting School", had made his way to the Ukrainian border.

Using their cooking skills, they gave refugees a warm welcome to Romania, handing out hundreds of delicious meals, a far cry from the dank cellars and sparse portions experienced by everyone just days before.

The meal consisted of rice, curry and naan bread, classic Indian food made with professional flair by Bogdan and his team of talented chefs, some of them former Romanian Masterchef judges.

Credits:

Photos - Mohammed Raihan Thufail, Taiwah Obed, Oreva

Text- Jacob Dursley, Alfie Lumb, Emuan Ezewele Okolie

Research - Jacob Dursley, Alfie Lumb, Emuan Ezewele Okolie, Fatima Farha