At four in the morning, the first batch of Lebanese nationals in Ukraine arrived, including 40 Lebanese students, coming from Bucharest after being hosted by Lebanese businessman Dr. Mohammad Murad in one of his hotels at his own expense, along with securing their travel tickets back to Lebanon.
They were welcomed in the arrivals hall at Rafic Hariri International Airport by the Chairman of the Higher Relief Committee, General Mohammad Khair, and the families of the students who thanked Murad for his care for their children and securing their arrival in Beirut. They urged the government to "follow up on the difficult conditions of the students in Ukraine and work to evacuate them as soon as possible."
A delegation from the "Lebanese Association of Parents of Students in Foreign Universities" also attended and called for "addressing the issues of students abroad and facilitating the transfer of funds to them in these difficult circumstances," emphasizing the "necessity of approving the student dollar, as the situation of Lebanese students abroad is very difficult."
General Khair addressed the families of the students, explaining that "the mission to evacuate Lebanese students from Ukraine in light of the serious conditions on the ground was challenging, but they were united," stressing that "it is natural for the lives of Lebanese in Ukraine to be affected by the military and security operations occurring there."
He pointed out that "from the beginning, we wanted to implement a plan to evacuate the Lebanese during a ceasefire, but the ongoing fighting prevented that. It was better to advise the young people there to leave Ukraine in groups, and this is what we were doing through coordination with our embassy and the Lebanese ambassador to Ukraine, Ali Daher, who is currently in Kyiv. We emphasized that they should not leave individually or in large groups, which is why we preferred not to gather large numbers of Lebanese families, and that is what happened. In each city, a group of youths communicates with one another, and we in turn communicate with them."
He clarified that "the number registered with the Lebanese ambassador in Ukraine is 960 Lebanese citizens, of whom 450 registered to go to Poland, and so far, 250 have entered, with a similar number waiting at the border to head to Warsaw."
He noted that "some people preferred to go to Europe," indicating that "another flight carrying Lebanese from Warsaw will arrive within 48 hours," explaining that "crossing into Romania was easier than other routes."
He mentioned that "Lebanese citizens are providing assistance and donations," stating: "As the Higher Relief Committee under the government, we are obliged to accept such assistance, and today's initiative came from one of the businessmen, for which we are grateful. Everyone offering help is welcome to coordinate with the Higher Relief Committee."
He added: "Several Lebanese citizens remain in Ukraine, according to their wishes, despite the danger, but we are in contact with them. Coordination is taking place with the Ukrainian Red Cross, and contact has been made with the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure coordination and communication between the Ukrainian Red Cross and the Lebanese embassy in Kyiv so that we can extract those we have been unable to evacuate currently, and I hope that the operation will be completed as soon as possible."
Regarding the situation of Lebanese students in Ukraine, General Khair indicated that "matters will be addressed with the relevant authorities."
