Lebanese people in Ukraine, like other residents and foreign communities, are facing difficult circumstances due to the Russian war that has been ongoing in the country for over three weeks. The majority of Lebanese who were in Ukraine remain stranded there, including Adam Baba, a 15-year-old from the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, who has lost contact since March 2nd, with no information about him available to date.
In the latest chapter of the suffering of Lebanese in Ukraine, Adam's family, located in the besieged and bombarded city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, reported that communication with him has been cut off for over two weeks, and nothing has been heard from him since then. Special sources following the situation in Ukraine informed "Sky News Arabia" that search operations for Baba are ongoing, indicating that "contact is lost with many people in Ukraine (both Lebanese and non-Lebanese) for days and weeks before they are found, due to hiding in shelters, the interruption of communication networks, power outages, and the inability to charge phones."
Mohammed Baba, Adam's father, told "Sky News Arabia" that he last spoke with his son on March 2nd, noting that Adam had informed him he was still with his maternal Ukrainian grandparents at home and that they had not yet gone to the shelters, despite hearing the sounds of shelling in the vicinity of the city. Baba added that his son mentioned that his phone battery was about to die and that he wouldn't be able to charge it due to the lack of electricity. Since that communication, he has been unable to reach Adam and does not know his whereabouts.
The father said: "My son holds dual citizenship; he is both Lebanese and Ukrainian." He also indicated that he had tried to contact the Lebanese embassy in Ukraine without success and that the boy's mother, who is in Qatar, also attempted to reach out to people in Ukraine but failed to do so.
He added: "Two years ago, when the crisis began in Lebanon, I decided to keep him away from the country, but what has happened has happened." Baba appealed to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib and relevant authorities to make the necessary contacts with the Lebanese mission in Ukraine and Ukrainian authorities to find his son and bring him back "at any cost," adding, "I will pay whatever they want for my son to return."
It is noteworthy that the strategic city of Mariupol is located on the southeastern coast of Ukraine, overlooking the Sea of Azov, and remains under Ukrainian control; however, it is surrounded by Russian forces and has been subjected to heavy bombardment for days.
