added. […] In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted allegations of discrimination by border guards and said it operated on a “first come, first served approach” that “applies to all nationalities” with priority given to women, children, and elderly people in accordance with international humanitarian law. Ayoub is annoyed that his teachers still expect him back in class on March 12. “I understand they want to keep morale high, but I am afraid they will charge us, or stop our studies if we don’t go back. I don’t understand why they cannot just suspend everything until further notice.” The experience has been so emotionally draining, Ayoub doesn’t think he will ever feel the same way about Ukraine again. It is a sentiment shared by Deborah and her sister Aliyah, 19, who also studies in Ukraine. “This country has given me so much. The people of Ukraine don’t deserve this war and like everyone, I cannot understand why this has happened. Seeing pictures of these beautiful cities being shelled is awful. But I’ve seen a side that I cannot forget,” Aliyah added. In recent days, word has spread among the international students fleeing Ukraine that they will likely have an easier time crossing into Hungary than Poland due to the smaller numbers of people waiting to get in. Of the refugees Al Jazeera spoke to, none reported problems boarding a train to the small Hungarian village of Záhony.” Al Jazeera, More African students decry racism at Ukrainian borders, 2 March 2022 “Barlaney Mufaro Gurure, a space engineering student from Zimbabwe, had finally reached the front of a nine-hour queue at Ukraine’s western border crossing of Krakovets after an exhausting four-day trip. It was her turn to cross. But the border guard pushed her and four other African students she was travelling with aside, giving priority to Ukrainians. It took hours, and relentless demands, before they were also allowed to go through border control. […] “When we left [Kyiv] we were just trying to survive,” she said. “We never thought that they would have treated us like that […] I thought we were all equal, that we were trying to stand together,” Gurure added. Her story is not isolated as scores of Africans have reported episodes of abuse and discrimination while trying to cross into Ukraine’s neighbours.” Al Jazeera, AU ‘disturbed’ by reports Africans stopped from escaping Ukraine, 1 March 2022 “The African Union (AU) says it is “disturbed” by reports that African nationals in Ukraine are been prevented from safely crossing the border to flee the raging conflict in the country. In a statement late Monday, the pan-African body said: “[A]ll people have the right to cross international borders during conflict, and as such, should enjoy the same rights to cross to safety from the conflict in Ukraine, notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity.” […] African nationals, mostly students, have accused Ukrainian security forces of stopping them from boarding trains headed to the border regions. Videos shared on social media also show Ukrainian border forces pushing African nationals as they attempt to leave Ukraine. “Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach international law,” the AU statement continued. Al Jazeera spoke to several African and Asian nationals who said they were turned away by Ukrainian authorities at the border to Poland. […] “We were the last people to get on anything, it was always like that.” Madi Kemel Dinga, a Congolese student, told Al Jazeera at a reception centre in Korczowa, eastern Poland.” Al Jazeera, Nigeria urges respect towards Africans at Ukrainian border, 28 February 2022 “There have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border,” read a statement 82