Taipei-A Taiwanese student in Ukraine said Sunday that most of the Taiwanese nationals living there do not feel any urgency to leave, despite world governments’ warning of a possible imminent Russian invasion.
Life remains quite normal in Ukraine, said the student, who is studying at Kyiv National Linguistic University and asked to be identified only as Chen (?).
“Schools are open, and people are going out shopping, dining and having fun on the streets,” he told CNA. “It does not look like a Russian invasion is impending.”
Chen is one of the approximately 25 Taiwanese working or studying in Ukraine, who have been advised by the Taiwan government to leave as soon as possible, in light of a warning by the United States that Russia may invade the Eastern European country soon.
Like most Taiwanese in Ukraine, Chen said, he does not think that the situation is as dire as reported in the Western media, and they are all of the opinion that there is little chance of an imminent all-out war between Russia and Ukraine, which is why he has decided to stay in Kyiv.
“The Taiwanese I know all think that the tensions between Russia and Ukraine are like those between China and Taiwan,” he said. “People from other countries might think it’s terrifying to see warplanes regularly flying overhead, but Taiwanese have gotten used to that.”
Some other foreign students at Kyiv National Linguistic University have left, however, according to Chen, who majors in Russian language and has been living in Kyiv for a year and four months.
He said four of his classmates from South Korea departed Ukraine early Sunday, based on instructions they received the previous day from their country’s embassy in Kyiv.
The South Korean students were told that they would be punished by their government if they did not comply with the order to leave, Chen said.
Meanwhile, Chen said he has been receiving regular updates on the Ukraine situation, via a WhatsApp group set up by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)to provide relevant information to Taiwanese living there.
MOFA has advised the Taiwanese expatriates in Ukraine to leave as soon as possible, but it has not issued an order to do so, he said.
On Sunday, MOFA issued an advisory for the second consecutive day for Taiwan citizens to leave Ukraine, a former Soviet Union state.
According to MOFA, Taiwanese in Ukraine can contact Taiwan’s de facto representative office in Moscow — the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission — to seek assistance.
They can also get in touch with the Taiwan Trade Center in Kyiv, which is run by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), MOFA said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel