Ukrainians in the UAE fear for families as threat of Russian invasion grows

Some residents' families have been stocking up on food and fuel in case war breaks out

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  Russian President Vladimir Putin signs documents recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. AFP

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  A Ukrainian soldier walks past fragments of a mortar shell amid fighting near the front line in Travneve, Donetsk region. Reuters

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  People wave Russian flags while celebrating Moscow's recognition of the self-proclaimed republic's independence, in Donetsk. AP

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  Protesters gather at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in Kiev, calling on the EU to impose additional sanctions against Russia. Getty Images

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  Members of the security forces walk in an underpass at a railway station in Kiev. Getty Images

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  A Ukrainian soldier on the front line near the village of Travneve, in Donetsk. Reuters

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  Alisa, 38, a media relations specialist, takes part in a combat skills training for civilians near Kiev. Reuters

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  Alisa poses with a gun at her home near Kiev. Reuters

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  A young girl takes part in a rally in defence of 'Ukraine, Europe and democratic values', organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, outside the Russian Consulate in Porto, Portugal. EPA

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  A Ukrainian soldier takes time out to play with dogs on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske, in Donetsk. Reuters

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  People gather under the Ukrainian flag for a Day of Solidarity with Ukraine at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. AFP

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  Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic cross from Ukraine into Russia, after it was announced that women and children would be led to the Rostov region due to rising tension in the area. EPA

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  After the evacuation of separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine, people complete documents in a temporary accommodation centre in Rostov, Russia. Reuters

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  War veterans and volunteers train civilians in handling weapons on one of Kiev's city beaches. AFP

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  Russian and Belarusian helicopters taking part in a joint military exercise of the allied countries’ armed forces. EPA

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  Ukrainian National Guard soldiers at a mobile checkpoint together with the Ukrainian Security Service agents and police officers during a joint operation in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

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  US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

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  A Polish soldier uses his phone, as US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak visit the Air Base in Powidz, Poland. Reuters

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  Mr Austin, left, addresses US troops stationed at the Powidz Air Base in Poland. AP Photo

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  A woman walks to board a bus, arranged to evacuate local residents, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A satellite image shows an overview of helicopter deployments near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian Military Forces serviceman looks through a spyglass on the front line with Russia-backed separatists not far from Novolugansk in the Donetsk region. AFP

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  A serviceman keeps position on the front line. AFP

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  A Ukrainian frontier guard patrols along the border with Russia, some 40km from the city of Kharkiv. AFP

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  US President Joe Biden speaks to the media about Russia's buildup on the Ukrainian border as he leaves the White House in Washington. EPA

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  A Ukrainian frontier guard stands at a check point. AFP

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  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow. Reuters

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  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations Security Council. AP Photo

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  An elderly lady walks by as members of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination survey damage to a house from artillery shell that landed in Vrubivka, eastern Ukraine. AP Photo

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  French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders to discuss Ukraine at the European Council building in Brussels. AP Photo

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  A local resident boards a train at a suburban area of Kiev. Reuters

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  A woman stands among debris after the reported shelling of a nursery in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. AFP

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  A protester shouts slogans during a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev against high government taxes. AFP

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  A member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army rests ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg in the US. AP Photo

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  Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army clean weaponry ahead of deployment to Poland. AP Photo

As fears grow that Russian troops will invade Ukraine, Ukrainian residents in the UAE say they are preparing for the worst.

Olena Zintchenko said her family in Kiev have been putting money aside and are buying non-perishable food, just in case.

Ms Zintchenko, 34, speaks to her parents by daily video calls. They say the mood in their neighbourhood is sobering, but they are trying to get on with life as normal.

“All my family is in Kiev and we are in touch every day,” said Ms Zintchenko, a business owner in Dubai.

My family have a plan in place if a full-scale invasion occurs. They keep bags packed with basic stuff, documents, cash and will be able to leave Kharkiv by car

Olena Kalych,
a resident in Abu Dhabi

“The mood, obviously, is nervous. But they are trying to live their lives while at the same time preparing for the worst scenario. They have refused to leave home.

“They have full [fuel] tanks, shelter in our basement and plenty of food stored.”

Eight years ago, Ms Zintchenko regularly heard stories of people dying on the war front in Donbas, a region south-east of Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists.

Now, she fears the same will happen if Russian troops enter her country.

“[This] may lead to a big war in the middle of Europe in the 21st century, which is incredibly horrifying,” she said.

“I still believe in the power of diplomacy, but before World War Two diplomacy was also strong, and unfortunately, it did not prevent the war.”

Olena Zintchenko, from Ukraine, says her family back home have been putting money aside and buying long-lasting food in case war breaks out.

Olena Kalych, a resident in Abu Dhabi, comes from Kharkiv, a city that borders the Donbas region where there are two breakaway pro-Russian states.

She said being abroad at this critical time makes her extremely worried, but also proud of how the Ukrainian people are handling the threat.

“My family still lives in Kharkiv and as of now they are living life as normal, or as normal as you can in the circumstances,” she said.

“However, they do have a plan in place if a full-scale invasion occurs. They keep bags packed with basic stuff, documents, cash and will be able to leave Kharkiv by car.

“Once my father and brother ensure that the other family members are safe in the west of Ukraine, they intend to return to Kharkiv and join the military forces, as they are already trained and skilled respectively.”

Over the past several months, Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine.

The US has responded by sending several thousand troops to two of Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, Poland and Romania.

High-level talks between delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the US have failed to ease tensions, and while Moscow says it has no plans to invade, Washington and its allies insist that is likely to happen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued security demands to the US before he draws his military forces back, including a ban on Ukraine joining Nato and an agreement that Nato will remove troops and weapons across much of Eastern Europe.

Yevheniy Semenov, who has lived in the UAE for eight years, said almost all his family is currently located in Chernivtsi, a city in western Ukraine.

“According to [my family] the mood is very calm in the city. At the same time, Ukrainians are getting ready for in case war resumes,” Mr Semenov, 28, said.

“A lot of people are looking for firearm ownership permits. My mum, who works in school, told me they’re exercising emergency evacuations for their pupils, too.

“My family has prepared their emergency suitcases but they’re not planning to leave the country.”

While being far away from his family is worrying, Mr Semenov said he takes some solace knowing that Ukrainian diplomats, their western allies and Ukrainian diaspora around the world are doing their best to avoid any escalation.

The second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv is located some 40km from the Ukrainian-Russian border. AFP

“During the past eight years, many cases of Russian units’ presence were detected in Ukraine,” he said.

“The potential escalation may become just a renewal of invasion. As of now, [the threat] looks more like a way of trying to make the people in Ukraine and around the world panic.”

Stephen Maclaren, a British insurance broker in Dubai, said he is concerned about his wife and son, who both have Ukrainian passports and are living in Russia.

“My wife’s mother lives in Ukraine and she is due to visit her next month, while my son comes to Dubai to stay with me for a visit,” he said.

“It is a big worry for us what is happening there.

“If conflict does escalate, the concern is my son may have difficulty getting back into Russia after visiting me in Dubai.

“They are both trying to get permanent residency status in Russia but it takes time. If there is a war on, that could become even more challenging so it could be a huge issue for them.”

Being away from family is stressful at the best of times, but Mr Maclaren said if tensions continue to escalate it will become more difficult.

With inputs from Nick Webster

Ukraine citizens brace for potential war: in pictures

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  Lidia, 92, a Ukrainian who has lived here during the time of the conflict, stands at the entrance to her house in the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, near the front line with Ukrainian government forces in Luhansk, Ukraine. AP

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  Olga Matvienko, an inspector at the migration service office, in Donetsk, Ukraine, says the number of people applying for Russian passports has increased in recent weeks. AP

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  Valentyna Konstantynovska, 79, is taught to use a weapon during training for civilians, organised by the Azov Special Forces Unit of Ukraine's National Guard, in Donetsk. AP

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  Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina, 87, at her house near the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Russia has stationed troops in Belarus in recent weeks. AFP

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  Ukrainian teenagers dig trenches for soldiers facing off with Russian-backed separatists, in the Mariupol region. AFP

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  A young woman handles a weapon during basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP

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  A small child struggles to remove ammunition from a clip during a basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP

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  Civilians are being trained in Mariupol, where President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to mark what he had declared Ukraine's 'Day of Unity'. AP

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  A plane set as a monument to a former military base near the Three Sisters border crossing between, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, in Senkivka, Ukraine. Getty Images

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  A military instructor teaches a schoolboy to shoot with Kalashnikov rifles, during a training session in Lviv. AFP

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  A salesperson works in a grocery store in Orlivka. Tensions with Russia have hit the economy hard, Ukrainian authorities say. Getty Images

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  A child on a swing with his grandmother in Prymorsk, Ukraine, as Russian forces conduct large-scale military exercises in Belarus, across the border. Getty Images

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  Pensioner Viktor collects firewood in Novokostyantynivka. European natural gas prices surged as the US rejected Russia’s claims that it was pulling back troops. Getty Images

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  A fisherman tests his new fishing rod on a beach in Prymorsk, Ukraine. Getty Images

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  A customer in a barber shop in Kiev. Bloomberg

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  Passengers travel on a train in Kiev. Ukrainians have gone back to work, but are “not naive to the fact of how serious the situation is”, reports say. Bloomberg

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  Shoppers in a supermarket in Kiev. Bloomberg

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  A large street mural in Kiev. Getty Images

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  A woman walks past a vendor on a street in the Ukrainian capital. Getty Images

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  Ania, 67, a Ukrainian, gestures on the pedestrian border cross in Medyka, south-east Poland. AFP

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  A skateboarder performs a trick behind a mural of poet and activist Vasyl Stus, in Kiev. Getty Images

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  A woman gets her hair done at a beauty salon in Kiev. Getty Images

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  A man works out at Kiev's popular outdoor gym. Getty Images

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  A woman works in a gun shop in the capital. Getty Images