There are already 279 Colombians evacuated from Ukraine with the help of the national government

Since the end of February, political tensions increased between Russia and Ukraine, there was the outbreak of a major conflict on the European continent that brought with it, the military advance of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory and the people who were in that country had to evacuate in different ways, in the case of the Colombian Government announced that, with alliance of embassies in other countries close to Ukraine, it would begin to evacuate compatriots for their return to the country.

According to an announcement made by the vice-president and foreign minister, Marta Lucia Ramírez, 279 Colombians have already been evacuated from Medellin from Ukraine by the war with Russia. Although 20 compatriots still need to leave Ukrainian territory and be able to go to Romania or Poland, where most of the evacuees have gone of their own free will.

“299 Colombians have appeared to us and we have managed to evacuate 279 Colombians. That makes us very satisfied because fortunately we haven't had any Colombians dead. We have one who is injured, who is a photographer and journalist who is Juan Arredondo,” Vice President Ramírez confirmed, adding that in cases where Colombians have not decided to evacuate quickly, it is because of family issues or some roots in the country that is currently in armed conflict.

In total, on all flights, Ecuador has helped with the repatriation of 15 Colombians; as well as 655 Ecuadorians, 43 people of Ukrainian nationality, one Peruvian, one Belarusian and one Egyptian.

The vice-president also confirmed that 34 Colombians are currently staying in Warsaw and Bucharest, places where they are receiving guidance, accommodation, food and, in some cases, medical services.

It should be recalled that, in the past, the national Government made available a military aircraft to evacuate its nationals, mainly those who have managed to leave Ukraine and are refugees in Poland. However, at that time only 16 Colombians out of 271 expressed their desire to return to Colombia, which is why the plane was not available and other alternatives were sought to transfer those concerned.

“As the number of Colombians interested in returning to the country is very small, for that reason and for now, the humanitarian flight that we had agreed that President Iván Duque approved will not take place. So we are going to repatriate those 16 people with other options,” Ramirez explained at the time, adding that the national government has a census of 293 Colombians living in Ukraine.

Former Colombian Police Officer Volunteered to Fight for Ukraine Against the Russian Army

Several former Colombian soldiers have made themselves available to Ukraine, as is the case with William Toro, who spoke to Noticias Caracol about his decision. Toro is a former officer of the Colombian Anti-Narcotics Police and was found by the media in Przemysl, Poland, where all the volunteers are arriving with the intention of serving the Ukrainian armed forces to defend themselves against the neighboring country. On the microphones of the news, the 32-year-old man pointed out that his motivation to get to Poland was to see the situation through the media and know that with his experience he can help children and families who are separated.

“The need to help. I'm going to put a little bit of my experience, I know it's not much but I think we can help with little,” said the former officer. He assured that he understands the situation and the risk involved, but that his 10 years of experience give him confidence to take on this challenge.

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