Thousands of Afghans who fled from Kabul to Ukraine say they are now stranded amid the war and cannot leave the country.

The evacuated Afghan nationals said they feel insecure amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They said steps are not taken for their relocation from Ukraine to the US and some other European countries and they cannot leave the Ukraine without a passport or other documents. The Afghan embassy has not helped them, they said.

“The Afghans are in a very bad situation here. The embassy has not helped them in leaving Ukraine, but the Afghans are trying to leave the country,” said Mirwais, an Afghan national living in Ukraine.

Sahra Karimi, the former chairwoman of Afghan Film, also said Afghanistan nationals, especially women and girls, are stranded. “Afghan asylum seekers, especially women and girls, are stranded in Ukrainian cities at war. My family is also among them,” she said.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Lawyer Association in Europe said Afghan asylum seekers in Ukraine need help and they should be relocated to their final destinations. “We urge the US to relocate the stranded asylum seekers to the US because still there is a chance for relocation,” said Basir Dehzad, deputy head of the association.

“All the organizations and entities should advocate for the stranded asylum seekers so they get rescued from the ongoing war,” said Toba Hashimi, a member of the association.

Afghan diplomats in Poland and Slovakia, however, said they are trying to help the Afghan nationals in Ukraine. The Afghan consul in Afghanistan’s embassy in Poland, Sayed Ismail Yousufi, said: “We have contacted the Ukrainian embassy and they have promised to relocate Afghan nationals to other countries. The embassy’s efforts are ongoing in this regard.”

Russia launched attacks on Ukraine on Thursday and so far the fights have been ongoing in several parts of Ukraine.