As someone who is pursuing his education from Russia, the situation between the country and Ukraine is extremely worrisome to me. My friends across the border who went to the country for education, now find themselves in the middle of explosions, missile attacks, and other forms of assault, which they never asked for.
I heard stories of friends stuck in Odessa who are constantly under threat of violence and are doing everything they can to move to the border where evacuation teams from Hungary, Romania, etc. have assembled.
Protests are happening in the city of Smolensk, where I am studying, as many people are asking for the war to stop and want good relations with Ukraine. People lined up the streets near my university and did a silent march to oppose what’s happening in the neighbouring country.
Since Smolensk is a few kilometres away from the border of Ukraine, the presence of the military is common in the city. Despite that, we haven’t witnessed any form of additional restrictions apart from the curfew that’s imposed on us from 8 PM to 5 AM everyday for security reasons.
I hope to see a peaceful resolution soon that ends the pain and suffering of people residing in both countries.
(Jay Kore is a third year MBBS student at Smolensk State Medical University, Russia)
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