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KYIV — Viktoriia Gryshchenko, an mental property rights specialist from Kyiv, arrived in Israel solely 10 days in the past, wanting ahead to a short lived break from Russia’s struggle on her homeland.
“However I solely escaped from struggle into one other struggle. And I say that with a bitter smile on my face,” stated Gryshchenko, who had not left Kyiv for the reason that begin of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine greater than 19 months in the past.
On the morning of October 7, she awoke in Petah Tikva, a metropolis 10 kilometers east of Tel Aviv, simply as if she had been again in Kyiv on February 24, 2022, as Hamas launched 1000’s of missiles at Israel. Along with rocket barrages, Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing a whole bunch and kidnapping dozens extra. In response, Israel launched a large-scale assault and siege of Gaza.
“I can examine each wars. And Hamas is performing identical to Russia. An identical assaults, equivalent atrocities,” Gryshchenko advised POLITICO. “I can see this is similar evil that got here to us.”
She is amongst greater than 1,000 Ukrainians who’ve requested evacuation from Israel, whereas one other 200 Ukrainian residents are trapped within the Gaza Strip, in line with Ukrainian officers. The primary evacuation flight from Israel is deliberate for Saturday, with one other one set for Sunday.
Gryshchenko hopes to get on one of many evacuation flights after which to return to Ukraine quickly, regardless of the opposite struggle that continues to rage there.
Russian forces have been storming Avdiivka, an industrial metropolis within the Donetsk area of Ukraine, for days, aiming to encircle Ukrainian forces combating there. Though struggle maps by DeepState venture present Moscow’s forces have gained some floor north of Avdiivka, Ukrainian troops are nonetheless holding the road within the metropolis, in line with the Ukrainian Military Basic Employees.
Again within the Center East, some 1,300 in Israel have died within the battle thus far, whereas officers in Gaza say greater than 1,500 individuals have been killed there in Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
Ukrainians are among the many casualties.
“The variety of useless Ukrainians in Israel has elevated to seven individuals. Consuls … are taking measures for the repatriation of the our bodies,” Ukrainian international ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko stated in a press release on Thursday. “One other 9 Ukrainians are thought-about lacking.”
“About 200 Ukrainians have declared their need to evacuate from the Gaza Strip,” Nikolenko stated. However “as a result of lack of safety, departure is at the moment not possible,” he stated.
“The Ministry of Overseas Affairs, Ukrainian embassies in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, in addition to different concerned departments of Ukraine, are making lively efforts to get our individuals out as quickly as attainable,” he stated.
The Ukrainian international ministry press service advised POLITICO that Kyiv plans to evacuate Ukrainians to different international locations in Europe with the primary flight deliberate for Romania. Gryshchenko hopes to be on that first evacuation flight, after which return to Ukraine.
She stated the Ukrainian embassy and consuls have been fairly responsive and useful.
“Panic is a foul helper. To resolve one thing, you want to have a relaxed thoughts. Sadly, the guts and soul don’t at all times observe this,” Gryshchenko stated.
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