WATCH | 'We are not racist' Ukrainian ambassador says after allegations of discrimination against Africans

Ukrainian ambassador to SA Liubov Abravitova has denied reports that African students and immigrants trying to leave Ukraine were treated poorly.

In a press engagement in Pretoria on Thursday, held in conjunction with the US embassy, Abravitova said there were about 16,000 African students in Ukraine. 

She said she had spoken to South Africans trying to leave the country and asked whether they had been racially discriminated against. They allegedly denied this. 

“The tradition of Russian disinformation and making the narrative out of that is also big and it has it's input and we feel it.”

However, media organisations, including TimesLIVE and Reuters, have heard reports of racism and discrimination from Africans leaving the country.

Abravitova was joined by US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Todd Haskell and said US diplomats were aiding Ukraine to engage leaders of African countries. 

“This is happening across the continent. American diplomats are engaging press to have conversations like this. We deeply care,” he said. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen hundreds of people displaced and on Thursday the two countries agreed to create evacuation corridors to allow civilians safe exit.