The Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expats Nabila Makram assured Saturday that there are no missing or injured Egyptian citizens in Ukraine.
During a telephone interview with the al-Hayat satellite channel, Makram said that there are more than 6,000 Egyptian citizens in Ukraine, including 3,000 students who are divided across 21 cities in Ukraine.
She said that the Egyptian embassy in Kiev prepared an operations room and a working team since the crisis started.
Makram held dialogue sessions over the course of the past three days with the students to check on their condition and experiences.
She explained that the Egyptian embassy in Kiev publishes on its official page all procedures that students must follow.
The Egyptian students present in Ukraine have expressed their desire to return to Egypt, the minister added.
She said that they are divided into two groups, with the first located in central Ukraine and the eastern cities. She advised this group to stay indoors and not move as they are in bombing areas close to the borders of Russia.
Makram continued, “As for the group located in western areas in Ukraine, they have to move through two routes, the first from Kiev to Poland and the second to Romania, which exempts those fleeing from PCR analysis of COVID-19, and grants a visa for two weeks, and places the displaced in shelters until their travel date.”
Before leaving Ukraine, students should send an email to the Egyptian embassy in Kiev informing it of personal information, she said, or the group that is leaving in order to inform the Egyptian embassy in Poland and Romania to allow them to enter.
The minister also advised the wearing of heavy clothes and taking adequate food due to the difficulty of the journey, especially hampered by congestion along the borders.
The Egyptian Embassy in Poland warned Egyptians in Ukraine of crowding at the Polish border from the Medyka crossing.
“With regard to the accumulation of large numbers of citizens of different countries through the Medyka crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border, the embassy advises Egyptian citizens coming from Ukraine to Poland to avoid this crossing at the present time due to the long waiting period,” the embassy said in a statement.
The Facebook pages of the Egyptian communities in European countries have become a lifeline of support for stranded Egyptians in Ukraine. Many have announced through these pages opening their homes to displaced Egyptian expatriates, and the provision of food and clothing to them in Poland and Romania.
Dozens stood at the Polish border, carrying water, food and clothes, waiting for the entry of Egyptians fleeing the ravages of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
