Lojans in Russia live war conflict amid restrictions

Desperate, with uncertainty and living a true odyssey. This is how now at least 20 Lojans are facing the war in Europe on Russian landssince for study reasons they are in that country, they say, without being able to leave and with various complications that threaten their subsistence in the coming days, but not because of the war, but because of the lack of money.

Showing absolute impotence, between tears and desperation, María G. (name protected) recounts what her son is currently going through in Russia due to the war with Ukraine. She requested not to be identified so as not to harm her family member, since she accuses that she is under many restrictions and what she least wants is that they take reprisals against her.

According to his story, Her 25-year-old son (who is in Russia for studies) told her that social networks were blocked and he cannot communicate on Facebook, Instagram and more, only having a connection via WhatsApp at times. and under the threat of soon losing that alternative. Faced with this, her mother’s concern was unleashed and she fears what will happen to him.

One of the main problems that the families of Lojanos and Ecuadorians have in Russia, he said, happens because they cannot send them money to help their children, since none of the companies dedicated to this subject is operating in that country and there are no another way to get them resources for their subsistence.

In the case of his son, he commented, he has bought the tickets to leave Russia, but no airline lands in Moscow and there is no humanitarian flight for them. He pointed out that the blockade, the crisis and the lack of money are affecting the compatriots, because they cannot get help from Ecuador.

He specified that his son is receiving a scholarship from the Russian Government and is about to finish his university career, planning to continue studying for a master’s degree in that country.

Indian that despite having called the Foreign Ministry to present their case, they do not want to do anything. She is worried because now her son is not in the university residence and without resources he will not be able to survive in the next few days.

He questioned that it is not fair that help has only arrived for Ecuadorians in Ukraine, since those in Russia are students and are also compatriots.

He pointed out that the only response they have reached from the Foreign Ministry is that they enlist, that they leave by their own means and see how they do the process; For this reason, he cries out for them to help them and even if they tell them which airline they should buy the tickets for so that his son can leave Russia.

In one of the last dialogues he had with his son early this Sunday, he confirmed that social networks are blocked, that he lacks money, that there are shops and premises closed, people are upset and nobody wants to know anything about them. .

Paul P. (name protected) He is a young man from Loja who has been in Kazan, Russia, for about four years for studies, receiving a scholarship, as well as some 20 people from Loja that he knows who are also in that country. Completing third and fourth level university studies.

Like the mother of the family in the previous case, he also requested not to be identified, since he commented that censorship in Russia is currently high and they cannot express themselves on social networks.

He is one of the Lojanos and Ecuadorians who agreed in 2018 to the scholarships granted by the Russian Embassy in Ecuador, with compatriots from Loja, Pichincha, Cotopaxi and Tungurahua who are studying for that help.

He mentioned that, at the beginning, despite being a European country, everything was relatively cheap: transportation, residence accommodation, being able to live well and access a good education.

He clarified that he is now on winter vacation and despite the fact that he has wanted to leave the country, he cannot do so because there are no flights. To this is added the uncertainty they feel because if they manage to leave, somehow they do not know for sure what will happen to their studies or if they will be able to return to Russia, since the scholarship has been guaranteed even for virtual classes, but he specified that there are those who study careers related to medicine and engineering that require completing internships and deserve to have face-to-face classes.

“Believe me that right now leaving is super complicated, there are no flights to Europe, there are no flights to Europe from Russia and, possibly, not even to the rest of what is the NATO area,” he said. He added that there is a fear that the airports will open and they can return to Ecuador, but then they will not be able to return to Russia.

He is currently in Moscow looking for a way out, first of all seeing something that suits his economy. On the other hand, he pointed out that he fears what will happen to the Lojanos and Ecuadorians in the south of Russia, who are also concerned about the economic blockade without Ecuador being able to send them help so that they can survive.

Currently in Moscow he occupies a room in a hostel until he sees the possibility of leaving, but as it is a large city and one of the most expensive in Europe, he plans to return to Kazan (western Russia), where he lives and studies, but is in the expectation that the situation will change, that there will be a ceasefire, that the companies will return, because Apple Pay, Google Pay are no longer there, like other brands. In Moscow she has been trying to get out for two weeks.

He specified that there are at least 20 Lojans in Russiafrom what he knows, since a greater number of Ecuadorians come from Pichincha, Tungurahua and Cotopaxi, but he also has acquaintances who are not only in cities in the south, but also in very distant places such as Siberia, that if there is a bombardment, without money and being so far away, just getting to Moscow would become an epic.

He hoped to receive a contribution from his parents to survive until he enters university, for which there are two weeks left, because he no longer has money, so he talks with his mother to see if his relatives from Spain can help him, because his Father wanted to send him money and he cannot get it to him.

“There are guys here who, my God! I think I’m not the only one who right now has a lump in his throat from not knowing what will happen to us,” he asserted.

He confessed that until a week ago they were not very worried because there were still channels for them to send money, but now everything has changed. He stated that he was able to talk with a close friend who told him that he has savings, but he is very worried because when it is over he will not know what to do, because at the university they cannot help him with money, and perhaps they can help him with basic products, because the scholarship is not enough for anything.

He asked the government for a response, because one thing is to issue a statement, but what they need is answers. He recalled that 80% of Ecuadorians in Russia are on scholarships, so they want the Government to help with a bank account so that their parents can deposit money or help them with some way to do so, since for them there is no humanitarian flight because there is no they are experiencing a war situation itself. (I)