Parents in Bahrain worried about children’s safety in Ukraine

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com 

Staff Reporter

Many parents in Bahrain, mainly expatriates, are worried over the state of affairs of their children, who are students in Ukraine.

Over the last few days, they have been continuously scanning news websites and television news channels to ensure that their children are safe in Ukraine.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Bahrain resident Babu Sebastian said he is worried about the recent developments in Ukraine.

“My daughter is a third-year medical student at Kyiv Medical University. I am very much worried about what is happening over there though I video call her every day.

“I am in touch with the Indian Embassy there. If I bring her back I am also worried about her education and future suffering,” he said.

Another resident Senthil Natarajan also shared his worries with The Daily Tribune. “My son is a second-year student at Donetsk National Medical University. I spoke to him today morning and he says everything is normal there. But being a parent the ongoing developments are a big matter of concern for us.”

Pradeep Patheri, also a Bahrain resident, whose son is a student in Ukraine, said he expects the situation not to flare up.

“There were similar incidents in 2014 and finally a peaceful resolution was reached by the timely intervention by the world leaders. I am hopeful about a peaceful resolution.” Pradeep’s son is a medical student at Uzhhorod University in Ukraine.

Uzhhorod is located on the Ukraine-Poland border. The Kingdom yesterday called on Bahraini citizens to avoid travel to Ukraine.

In a travel advisory issued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Bahrainis who are currently in Ukraine to leave for their safety, given the recent developments and security instability there.

People who need assistance should call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Operations Office on 00973-17227555.

Meanwhile, Indian Embassy yesterday issued an advisory given the current situation in Ukraine. “Indian nationals in Ukraine, particularly students whose stay is not essential, may consider leaving temporarily,” the statement said.

According to recent reports, some 130,000 Russian troops are massed around Ukraine’s borders and off its coast, the biggest mobilisation of combat forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War in 1989.

Ukrainians and Russians have conflicted the east for almost eight years after Russian-backed rebels seized big areas of two key regions - Luhansk and Donetsk.

About eight years ago, the separatists declared those areas as independent, so-called people’s republics. Russia has never recognised them as an independent.

But now Russia’s parliament has voted to appeal to President Vladimir Putin to recognise those two separatist-run areas as “sovereign and independent states”.

There are two accords known as the Minsk agreements from 2014 and 2015. They just haven’t been implemented yet and one way out of the current crisis would be to make progress on the Minsk deal.

Under those accords, the two rebel-run regions would remain part of Ukraine, but they’d keep a special status of autonomy.

Russia and Ukraine have very differing views on what that status means.