Kurdish students in Russia's bombarded Belgorod seek KRG help

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Muhammad Sharafani, on behalf of 14 Kurdish students at two universities in Belgorod, Russia, sent a message to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that their lives are in danger due to the continuous bombing of the city by the Ukrainian Army.

Sharafani also said that the missile bombings of the Ukrainian forces on the city have intensified for several days and so far, several civilians have been killed.

Yasin Salih, the envoy director at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, told Kurdistan24 that they are “in contact with Kurdish students in Belgorod and have expressed that their lives matter to the Ministry.”

Salih added that if their universities allow these students to return and there are "no problems with their education process – whether online courses or postponed classes – they will “not face any difficulties from the Ministry.”

In accordance with the instructions of the KRG, students should remain in the countries where they study, especially during their studies, in order to "equalize" their degrees when they return to the Kurdistan Region following graduation.

However, the escalating violence on Russian soil has questioned the viability of those KRG guidelines.

Read More: Iraqi Kurds stranded in Ukraine face uncertain situation amid Russian invasion 

Nearing its second year, the Russo-Ukrainian War has caused several hundred-thousand casualties on both sides, with Russia suffering 315,000 dead and injured military forces, according to a US intelligence report last December.

According to Iraqi figures, more than 5,500 nationals, including half a thousand students, were in Ukraine before the Russian invasion. Much of the Iraqi diaspora, at the time, fled to neighboring Poland seeking perceived protection under a NATO member’s borders.

At its onset, the war caused the price of wheat to soar up to 50%, as its two belligerents produced roughly a quarter of global wheat output. The price of sunflower oil also increased by 70%. As a net import country for food, Iraq had in particular suffered economically from the conflict’s initial repercussions.

Notably, Iraq was one of 35 UN nations in March 2022 that abstained from condemning Russia’s invasion, although it later voted in favor of a resolution seeking an end to the war in February 2023.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq