Turkish humanitarian aid to Ukraine arrives at Romanian border
A Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) personnel speaks with a foreign colleague near the Siret Border Gate with Ukraine located near the city of Suceava, northern Romania, Feb. 28, 2022. (IHA Photo)


Turkish trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Ukraine reached Romania on Monday.

In addition to the five truckloads of humanitarian aid waiting at Romania's southern Giurgiu border gate with Bulgaria, a total of 26 buses that will evacuate Turkish nationals from Ukraine are expected to arrive in the country.

Bus drivers Ergin Ermiş and Murat Tamer said they had a difficult journey from Istanbul to Romania due to a snowstorm.

Russia's attack on Ukraine has entered its fifth day, with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry saying 352 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.

The intervention was met by an outcry from the international community, with the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.

Meanwhile, a group of 184 Turkish nationals, mostly students, evacuated from Ukraine, arrived in Turkey through the Foreign Ministry's coordination on Monday.

Evacuated Turkish nationals entered the country through the northwestern Hamzabeyli border gate at the Turkish-Bulgarian border.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Seçkin Ali Bakımcı, who was in Ukraine for university, thanked the Foreign Ministry for remaining in close contact before and during the evacuation process.

Another student from Odessa, Erhan Yıldız, said a missile fell near the dormitory where he was staying.

"Then, we heard that soldiers entered the airport and its surroundings ... We immediately went to the shelters in the dorm.

"Ukrainian soldiers made hand signals indicating that we should turn off the lights and not go out," he added.

Yıldız said that during that time, the Turkish Consulate was in constant contact with them.

Savaş Ateş, who worked in Ukraine, said many buses were set to come to Turkey.

"Thanks to this consulate, thanks to Turkey, of course, the evacuation continues. The only problem is Kyiv, I think, there is no evacuation situation there. All students are in the shelter as far as I know.

"They (Russian forces) even shoot at Turkish people, and our friends were shot, some are now in the hospital," Ateş added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military intervention last Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

At least 368,000 Ukrainians have fled to Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and other countries since then, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Western powers have imposed harsh financial sanctions on Moscow and decided to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition.