A Zimbabwean woman took to Instagram to ask for help as the Russian army invades Ukraine.
News reports say that explosions have been heard in Ukraine and pictures of army tanks and hurt civilians have been posted as well. In her post, the Zimbabwean woman (named mellisa_charuvira on Instagram) said that some other Zimbabweans with her had been hurt. Mellisa also said she is a student in Ukraine and she pleaded for fellow Zimbabweans and the government to find a means to intervene and help them flee the country.
It is unknown how Mellisa and the fellow Zimbabweans with her failed to leave Ukraine amid warnings. A few weeks ago more than a dozen nations urged their citizens to leave Ukraine due to warnings from western powers of an imminent invasion. If Mellisa and other Zimbabwean students did not have the means to leave, that would have been the time to reach out for help.
Reports say Putin has warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences they have never seen”. Russia’s military said it had targeted Ukrainian air bases and other military assets. Explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, as well as Odesa and Kharkiv. We hope Mellisa and fellow Zimbabweans make it home safe.