Gov’t Says Evacuation Mission for 26 Kenyans Stranded in Ukraine’s Sumy City Underway

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a rescue mission was dispatched to evacuate 26 Kenyans stranded in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

The 26 Kenyans, mostly students, are stranded in Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine, where at least 21 people were killed following an airstrike by Russia on Monday night. 

“A convoy is headed to the final extraction point. The process remains fraught with danger,” the Foreign Affairs ministry told Capital News on Tuesday.

Last week, the ministry said 74 students had successfully crossed into neighboring Poland while four went to Romania and Hungary. 

The ministry added that one student flew back to the country while four others declined to be evacuated, citing personal reasons.

The Kenyan government successfully negotiated unrestricted entry for Kenyans into European Union countries bordering Ukraine following Russia’s invasion on February 24th.

The ministry stated that all the 201 registered Kenyans who were in Ukraine, including 18 permanent residents, are safe.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Honorary Consul in Kiev has been monitoring the developments in Ukraine, especially the wellbeing of Kenyan nationals who have been caught up in the conflict. We wish to inform you that so far all registered Kenyans in Ukraine are reported safe,” the ministry noted.

Hundreds of thousands have fled Ukraine after Russia staged an invasion in an escalation of a conflict that commenced in 2014.