Tens of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian citizens living in Turkey strongly felt the effects of Moscow’s decision to invade its neighbor, leaving many stranded in airports or looking to hear from their relatives.

In Istanbul, Ukrainian citizens arrived in front the Russian Consulate in the Beyoğlu district on Thursday to protest the invasion, shouting slogans and urging the Kremlin to stop the war.

A group of about 50 people gathered on Istiklal Street, where the consulate general is located, showing their reactions by shouting anti-war slogans and holding placards that read "Stop Putin." The group later released a press statement while the protesters continued to shout slogans.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Tatyana Özyıldız said, "Today at 4 a.m., Russia started to attack our homeland, Ukraine. Our sleeping citizens were shot with rockets, tanks and helicopters. We came here to stop the war. The third world war has started. Putin is attacking, Putin is killing. Why is everyone silent?"

"We have gathered here to support Ukraine. Sometimes their phones are working, but we can hardly communicate with those there. A few cities have been hit. It is very difficult to hear from there. We think that many people died, because they started hitting sleeping cities at night," she said in remarks carried by the Ukrainians living in the central city of Konya also reacting to the invasion. Members of the Konya Ukrainians Association held a press conference that started with the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem, with some members visibly struggling to hold back their tears.

Association President Alina Göçer said in a statement, "We are Ukrainians living in Konya. Today we gathered to support our own country. We are holding the flag of Ukraine in our hands. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a new wave of aggression has begun against Ukraine. The purpose of the Russian offensive military operation is to destroy the Ukrainian state, seize power and establish occupation control of the Ukrainian territory. Russian troops are attacking peaceful Ukrainian cities from various directions, including the northeastern region, as well as the previously occupied and still occupied Donbass and Crimea. This is an act of war, an attack on Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty. Against this terrible attack, Ukraine has exercised its right of self-defense in accordance with international law. Ukraine calls on the international community to take immediate action. Only united and determined steps will repel Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine. The reactions and decisions we make will determine not only the security of Ukrainian citizens, but also the security of European citizens and the future of world order," she said.

"Turkey is always with us. We live in Turkey, but our mothers, fathers, children, nephews, grandfathers, grandmothers are all in Ukraine. The situation is bad, so we ask a lot so that there is no provocation. For the whole world to see, Ukraine wants to live on its own land," she said.

Göçer, citing information obtained from family members in Ukraine, said, "Everyone was left without water and electricity. Communication was difficult. Everyone went into the basement of their houses. Schools were closed. Sirens were constantly heard. Tanks and warplanes were seen. They were bombing the airport and military arsenals."

Many Ukrainian citizens in Turkey are also trying to get their families out of Ukraine and bring them to Turkey. Dozens flocked to the Ukrainian Consulate General in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district to carry out the relevant procedures and follow the developments.

Saying she wants to bring her family from Ukraine to Turkey, Elena Ileri remarked: "I am very scared. We saw tanks eight years ago, we know that fear. The doors are closed now. People spent the night in their basement. Everyone is afraid because they can attack civilians too. I am trying to take my family from there, but I don't know," she said.

Liyudmlya Saatçioğlu, on the other hand, said she was worried for her children. "Everyone is devastated. We want to get our children out of there, but we do not know how to get them out. The children heard an explosion in the morning. Our children received a message saying 'stay at home.' They cannot leave the house. We talked to our relatives, they are in a difficult situation," she said.

Many stranded in airports

After some flights were canceled due to the invasion and several countries shut down airspaces, Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian and Moldovan passengers continue to wait at the airports in Istanbul.

Passengers arriving at Istanbul and Sabiha Gökçen airports in the morning learned that their flights were cancelled. Those who wanted to go to Ukraine, southern Russian cities such as Rostov, Krasnodar and Perm, the Belarusian capital Minsk and the Moldovan capital Chisinau had to wait at airports.

Turkish Airlines (THY) and Pegasus sent their remaining passengers to hotels. Two airline companies announced that they are giving their passengers the right to refunds and free changes due to the events. Passengers who bought tickets from some foreign airlines continue to wait at the airports.

Ruslan Lomovytskyi, one of the Ukrainian passengers, told Anadolu Agency (AA) said he was traveling back to Kyiv from a holiday with his family in Sri Lanka via Istanbul.

Explaining that they had to stay at Istanbul Airport due to the flight cancellations, Lomovytskyi said, "Russia attacked our country. That's why we stayed here. We are trying to change tickets and go to Poland. We will go to Warsaw and try to get to Kyiv from there if we can find a train or bus."

On news from his relatives back home, Lomovytskyi said, "The situation is normal for now, there is no panic. The situation was very bad in the morning. The war was very bad. I lived in Kyiv for seven years. I was born in a city near the Donbas. We moved to Kyiv due to Russian attacks. The war started again and now also spread to Kyiv," he said.

Another passenger, Yelyzaveta Lomovytska, said that many people left Kyiv and that there was an atmosphere of panic in the country in the morning. "When I called my relatives at 5:00 in the morning, the situation was not calm. We want everything to calm down and return to normal, that’s our hope," she said.

Anna Shcherbakova, one of the Russian passengers who booked tickets on a foreign airline company, said that she came to Turkey with her mother and grandmother as tourists.

"The airspace of Ukraine and Russia are closed. We stayed here because of this. We are having trouble because our flight was canceled. We are hungry, we need water. We have children with us. We came here for vacation with my mother and grandmother. It was my grandmother's first international flight. We are here now and we don’t know what to do. We hope the Russian government will do something for us so that we can return to our country. We don't want to stay here. We tried to get information from the airline representative but could not get any information. Please help Russian tourists like us to return home."

Antalya expats wish for calm

Meanwhile in Turkey’s tourism capital Antalya, where 29,691 Russian and 8,444 Ukrainian residents live in peace, the citizens of both countries expect the tension to end as soon as possible and peace be declared.

Developments in the region are closely followed in the resort city of Antalya, which hosts millions of vacationers from Russia and Ukraine every year.

Antalya welcomed more than 3.5 million tourists from Russia and 1.26 million tourists from Ukraine last year. Citizens of the two countries living in the city contribute to the country's economy as well as the holidaymakers. The majority of resident Russians and Ukrainians work in the tourism sector in the city.

Darya Yıldız, one of the Ukrainian residents of the city, came from Kharkiv, which is half an hour away from the Russian border, to work in Antalya. Having married a Turk in the city, Yıldız said that she is worried about her family. "I used to make a video call with my family every day. However, these days I call them three-four times a day. I am very nervous and I wonder about the situation. My husband offered to bring my family to Turkey. As Russians and Ukrainians, we are fellows. There is no problem between us. In Turkey, I'm safe but I’m thinking of Ukraine."

Oksana Stetsura is another resident who came to Antalya from Ukraine to work. Stetsura, who married a Turk a year ago, is also following the crisis with concern. Explaining that she is in constant contact with her family, Stetsura said, "My family says there is not that much panic in Ukraine. But if something bad happens, I will bring my family here." Stetsura added that there are Russians among her colleagues but they have experienced no problems between them to date.

Kristina Güngör is a Russian who came from the capital Moscow to Antalya. Serving in the tourism sector in the city, she said that she started a new life here. "My father lives in Russia and constantly follows developments. He feels down. Everyone is in panic and no one wants war."

Turkish tourism professionals, on the other hand, are worried that the holiday plans of the Russians and Ukrainians, who are the locomotive nations of Turkish tourism, will be delayed if the tension is prolonged. Starting the season with new hopes every year after the Russian plane crisis in 2019, Turkish professionals got through the coronavirus process with the Safe Tourism Certificate program, implementing effective measures at airports, accommodation facilities and beaches to curb the spread of the disease. Tourism facility managers, who stated that the industry would be adversely affected if they encounter such a crisis while they are preparing for the 2022 season, are holding talks with tour operators and agencies in Russia and Ukraine.