Over 11 days of war more than 30 Brazilian athletes who lived in Ukraine managed to leave the country. The Itamaraty believes that there are still around 400 Brazilians in Ukraine and on the borders with Poland, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia, including athletes, businessmen, employees of multinational companies and Brazilians who started a family in the region. According to Federal Government estimates, just over 150 Brazilians have already managed to leave Ukraine.
Next Monday (7), as CNN has already reported, Brazil will start an operation to rescue Brazilians who want to leave Ukraine. A Brazilian Air Force (FAB) plane will leave Brasília at 3 pm. The information was gathered by CNN from high-level government sources. The aircraft will carry almost 12 tons of humanitarian aid loads and, on return, will transport Brazilians back to the country. The plane, a KC-390, will have the capacity to carry up to 80 people. The return to Brazil is scheduled for Thursday (10).
The Air Force informed that it prepared the flight plan towards Poland, the main escape route for Brazilians who are in the conflict region. On the way, there will be technical stops in Recife, Cape Verde (Africa) and Lisbon (Portugal).
The Federal Government also reported that in the Ukrainian border cities of Lviv (near Poland), Siret (near Romania), Kosice (near Slovakia), as well as Chisinau (capital of Moldova) and Kiev (capital of Ukraine) posts were set up. consular services for assistance to Brazilians.
This Saturday (5), four Brazilian athletes managed to land in Brazil after traveling for five days to the border with Poland. It took 36 hours by train, four hours by car, crossing the red line from Kiev, capital of Ukraine and the epicenter of the war, to the border with Poland, then to Qatar, to finally reach Brazil.
The futsal players of Ukrainian club DE Trading Rodriguinho Silva, Léo Barboza and Jean Carlos faced a risky journey. No food, no shower, with the tension of the armed conflict and many transfers.
‘I left home on Tuesday and I’m arriving on Saturday. Thank God. There’s no explanation being able to hug your family, your friends, the people you love. My agent even asked if I want to go back to Malta, but now I don’t want to think about my career. The important thing is to be here, welcomed by everyone”; told CNN the player Jean Carlos when disembarking in Rio de Janeiro.
The player had only been in Ukraine for a month, after a season playing in Malta. He recalled that on the first day of the Russian army’s attacks, food and water were already in short supply.
Excited, the athlete’s mother said that she watched CNN practically 24 hours a day to follow the events, as she was not always able to contact her son by phone.
At the beginning of the conflict, football players who play in the Ukrainian first division asked for help through social networks to return to Brazil. The first wave with four athletes landed in Rio and São Paulo on March 1st. Since then, groups have been arriving every day in staggered fashion.
Photos – War in Ukraine – 11th day
Source: CNN Brasil
