TRAPPED IN THE NORTHEAST OF
UKRAINE.
THANKFULLY MANY HAVE SAFELY
ESCAPED AND TWO OF THEM ARE JOINING ME NOW.
JOINING ME NOW.
THEY ARE BOTH MEDICAL STUDENTS.
AND
CORRIN, I WANT TO ASK YOU, FIRST
OF ALL, ARE YOU OKAY AND PLEASE
TELL OUR VIEWERS YOUR EXPERIENCE
IN GETTING OUT OF UKRAINE. >> YES, I AM FINE NOW, I WAS
>> YES, I AM FINE NOW, I WAS
ACTUALLY A STUDENT IN AND I HAVE
BEEN BACK IN THE U.K. FOR A WEEK
NOW.
THE EXPERIENCE WAS CRAZY, A LOT
OF DOWNS, MORE THAN UPS.
I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE NOW.
>> WALK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED
AS YOU WERE TRYING TO GET OUT.
>> SEVERAL THINGS HAPPENED, WE
MET ARMED CIVILIANS, WE WERE
STOPPED BY MILITARY CHECK
POINTS, WE EXPERIENCED RACISM AT
THE BORDER AND WE WERE IN THIS
CUE FOR DAYS AND SEVERAL REALLY
HORRIFIC SININSTANCES JUST FOR U
TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE UKRAINE.
>> IF YOU DON'T MIND, I WANT OUR
VIEWERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW
HARROWING THE JOURNEY WAS FOR
YOU, WHAT WAS THE MOST HORRIFIC
PART OF YOUR JOURNEY, I WANT TO
PAINT A PICTURE OF WHAT YOU WENT
THROUGH.
>> FOR ME IS BEING AT THE
MILITARY CHECK POINT AND GUNS
BEING HELD AT US, THE RACE YICHL
EXPERIENCE AT THE BORDER WAS
HORRIFIC BUT I THINK AS A BLACK
PERSON YOU KIND OF -- YOU KIND
OF GET USED TO BE TREATED THAT
WAY BUT YOUR LIFE BEING AN
IMMEDIATE DANGER, YOU KNOW, WITH
GUNS THAT'S REALLY, REALLY SCARY
AND TO THINK ANY MINUTE THESE
PEOPLE CAN JUST SHOOT YOU AND
YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR FAMILY
AGAIN AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW
WHERE YOU ARE.
>> WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES
THAT YOU WERE HELD AT GUNPOINT
BY CITIZENS.
>> THERE WAS NO REASON, WE JUST
CAME OUT OF THE CAR FOR A FEW
MINUTES TO STRETCH OUR LEGS.
WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING FOR TWO
DAYS AND WE JUST STOPPED BY THE
ROADSIDE SO THAT WE CAN STRETCH
OUR LEGS AND GET SOME FRESH AIR
AND THEN THERE WERE SOME ARMED
CIVILIANS AND THEY SAID IF WE
DON'T LEAVE WITHIN THE NEXT
FIVER MINUTESFIVE
MINUTES, WE'LL SHOOT YOU, THAT
WAS IT.
>> WOW.
WE KNOW THAT YOU HAD SLIGHTLY A
LONG JOURNEY AS WELL.
TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCE.
>> MY EXPERIENCE WAS A LITTLE
BIT DIFFERENT.
THE LONG WAITING AND LIKE YOU
KNOW WHEN YOU ARE STUCK IN ONE
PLACE WITH A FEAR THAT THE NEXT
DAY IT COULD ALL END AND STUFF.
I HAVE TRAPPED IN SUMY FOR TWO
WEEKS WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND RESOURCES STARTED
THE CITY AND RESOURCES STARTED
DWINDLING AND BEFORE YOU KNOW
IT, I HAD NOTHING TO EAT FOR A
WEEK OR MORE.
IT WAS CRAZY.
THE JOURNEY WAS LONG BECAUSE WE
TRAVELED FOR LIKE THREE DAYS
ALSO TO CITIES THAT WERE NOT
REALLY THAT LONG JUST TO AVOID
THE WHOLE TAKING DETOURS AND
DIFFERENT ROUTES AND MILITARY
CHECK POINTS AND DESTROYED
ROADS.
WE WERE TRACKED IN SUMY SINCE
DAY ONE, THE FIRST DAY THE
RUSSIANS ATTACKED UKRAINE, OUR
TRAIN STATION WOULD GO ON THE
BRIDGE THAT CONNECTED US TO
OTHER CITIES.
THE EXITS WERE CLOSED AND JUST
TRAPPED, WE WERE JUST TRAPPED.
>> I WANT TO LET OUR VIEWERS
KNOW LAWAL, WE WERE SHOWING
PHOTOS OF YOU IN THIS JOURNEY,
SOME PHOTOS YOU ARE SEEN SMILING
AND YOU LOOKED HAPPY IN SOME
PHOTOS BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARY
REFLECTIVE OF WHAT YOU WERE
EXPERIENCING AT THE TIME.
>> I MEAN YES -- IT IS NOT
NECESSARY, I DIDN'T FEEL
NECESSARY TO DOCUMENT A LOT OF
NEGATIVE TINGS THAT'S HAPPENING
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY
WHEN LIFE IS INVOLVED, YOU KNOW,
I WAS AROUND GOOD PEOPLE.
YOU SEE THE LITTLE GIRL HERE, WE
MET ON THE TRAIN AND JUST THESE
LITTLE THINGS THAT HELPED US GO THROUGH THE JOURNEY AND MAKING
THROUGH THE JOURNEY AND MAKING
IT OUT OF HERE IN ONE PIECE.
THESE BOYS ARE MY BEST FRIENDS
AND WE ARE TOGETHER AND WE ARE
TRYING TO MAKE IT OUT SO AT SOME
POINT YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT A
SMILE ON YOUR FACE.
>> YEAH, SPEAKS TO THE SPIRIT OF
WHO YOU ARE FOR SURE AND WE ARE
HAPPY THAT YOU ARE SAFE. KIMBERLEY, YOU CAN HEAR THE TWO
KIMBERLEY, YOU CAN HEAR THE TWO
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES THAT
KARRINE AND LAWAL HAD AND WHY
KARRINE'S EXPERIENCE MET WITH
SUCH AND LAWAL ARE DIFFERENT.
>> THE TIMING IS DIFFERENT AND I
THINK AWARENESS THAT KARRINE AND
ALEXANDER BROUGHT TO THE
STUDENTS AT THE BORDER HAVE MADE
IT DIFFICULT PARTICULARLY
UKRAINIANS TO BEHAVE IN RACIST
WAYS TOWARDS AFRICAN-AMERICAN
STUDENTS AND INDIAN STUDENTS
BECAUSE EYES ARE ON THEM.
IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT HAS THE
HOTLINE AND MADE AWARE THAT
ADMINISTRATION AWARE THAT THESE
ISSUES OF RACISM ARE IMPORTANT
AND IT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
I THINK THE KEY ISSUE IS SUMY
WAS BE SIEGED FOR TWO WEEKS.
THAT SITUATION WAS DIFFERENT
WHERE KARRINE TRYING TO GET OUT
AT THE ONSET OF THIS WAR, THE
CHAOS IS DIFFERENT.
IT IS A DIFFERENT FORM OF CHAOS
WE ARE SEEING.
THE SUMY STUDENTS ARE OUT AND
MANY OF THEM ARE IN TRANSIT
PLACES LIKE GOING BACK HOME,
KARRINE IS AT HOME AND SOME OF
THE STUDENTS GOT OUT EARLIER,
THEY'RE BACK HOME.
NOW WE HAVE A SITUATION OF
STUDENTS LIKE KHERSON WHICH IS
STILL BE SIEGED AND BOMBARDED BY
TROOPS.
THOSE STUDENTS ARE STILL STUCK.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR ANYONE TO