As Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine rages on, millions of civilians are finding themselves mired in a crisis where they have to flee from bombings and shootings, strive to get food, and of course hold on to the hope that things will get better.

It is estimated that there are up to 80 Rwandans staying in Ukraine. So far, it is unclear how many have managed to escape to safety, but The New Times can reliably report that there are a number of Rwandans who are stuck in the war zone.

A representative of the Rwandan community in the eastern European country had said that the biggest number of Rwandans in the country are students.

On Monday, February 28, we spoke with Emmanuella Kanyana and Aline Uwamahoro, two Rwandan sisters - both university students - who are currently stuck in Sumy, a city in the north-eastern region of Ukraine.

The duo narrated what they have witnessed during the past few days of the conflict and the challenges that they are facing right now.

"It was around 4am on February 24 when we started hearing gunshots and explosives. The sound was not very close to our area, so we did not get very scared. However, we wondered what was happening,” Kanyana recounts.

Moments later, they received a troubling message from their lecturers, informing them that the Russian military had entered Sumy.

Kanyana was only in the city to pay a visit to her sister and expected to soon return to Lviv, where her own university was based. Now she had to change the plan.

"We were instructed to stay away from the windows of our apartments, turn off the lights, close our gates and avoid going out,” she says.

"We thought it would maybe last one day, but it kept on. On the third day, they started telling us to hide in basements or shelters,” she adds.

Since they do not have a basement at their residence, they have to use their neighbour’s. They run there every time they hear air raid sirens in the city.

"We can hear sirens almost twice a day,” she says.

Being in the basement of a building during a bombing is a nightmare, Uwamahoro told The New Times.

"When we heard the siren for the first time, we ran to the basement. While we were there, the explosions started. The house was shaking so much, the soil was falling on us and we were very scared. We wondered how safe we were in that basement. It was almost like that house was going to crumble on us,” she narrates.

"We got panic attacks. We were trying to run but not even sure where to run to. Some of us could not move,” she goes on.

Some of their Ukrainian neighbours’ houses were hit by the explosions, and she says she does not know where they sleep currently.

"There is a language barrier between us and them. So, I don’t know where they are sleeping. Maybe they sleep at their friends’ houses or in shelters,” she says.

Sleeping time is challenging, not only for those whose houses were destroyed, but almost for everyone.

"My sister and I have set up a schedule. When one sleeps, one stays awake in case something happens. Every now and then, there are gunshots and explosions heard in the city during the night. It is quieter during day time, so that is when you can sleep for about two hours,” she explains.

She says that every morning they wake up; they thank God that they are alive.

Besides the armed conflict threat, they are faced with challenges related to food and other supplies. This is because it is not easy to go out and shop.

"We had some stock in the house before the fighting started. We avoid going outside because we can be shot from there. We try to save food as much as we can. Sometimes we don’t eat, but just drink water,” she says.

Asked about the possibility of leaving for another country, she said it is almost impossible for the people of Sumy.

"In Kiev (the capital of Ukraine), we hear that people sometimes get free trains that drop them at the border (with Poland). However, here we don’t have that. When you try to go out of the city, you meet Ukrainian or Russian forces and they just tell you to go back to your house,” she says.

Kiev is about 330 kilometres from Sumy.

In addition to this, Uwamahoro is afraid that some racist people in Ukraine may use such a time of chaos to mistreat blacks.

"We have some racist people here. And the funny part is that many people have been given guns to fight the Russians. There is a risk of being shot by racists too,” she says.

 "We are losing hope. Maybe the government of Rwanda can assist us,” she adds.

There are eight Rwandans in Sumy.

Uwamahoro says the embassies of Rwanda in Germany, Poland and Russia have contacted them, but up to now, there seems not to be a concrete plan of evacuating them.

"They did not tell us how they are going to assist us. They said they are going to talk about it. Things are getting worse day by day here.”

A BBC article published this week said that the number of civilians killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine is rising by the day.

"By Sunday, Ukraine's human rights commissioner had put the number of civilian victims alone at 210, including several children,” it read.

A number of countries have been trying to put in place efforts to evacuate their citizens from the tragic situation in Ukraine.

Govt reacts

When contacted for a comment, Yolande Makolo, the Government Spokesperson said that they are working with embassies in Germany, Poland and Russia to assist Rwandans evacuating from or still in Ukraine.

"Rwandan families with relatives in Ukraine are encouraged to contact the ministry (of Foreign Affairs) in order to facilitate this exercise," she said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with most family members and whoever has any enquiries may contact +250 788 125 043/2506 (toll free).