Reading the articles that the embassy is supposedly helping Armenian citizens makes me laugh: A call from Ukraine

Arman Karapetyan, an Armenian citizen in Kirovohrad, Ukraine, and his wife, who traveled to Ukraine for a few days, are unable to return to Armenia following the onset of military operations. They receive uncertain and unencouraging responses from the Armenian embassy in Ukraine.

In an interview with Tert.am, Arman Karapetyan stated that the claims that the embassy is evacuating Armenian citizens and organizing exits from the country do not reflect reality.

"We are currently in Kirovohrad, my wife and I came here for a few days and are staying at a friend's house. We had a ticket to return to Armenia on February 25. On the 23rd, we went to Kyiv to stay for two days and return home. On the morning of the 24th, we heard sounds of bombing. We learned that it was impossible to return home, so we came back to Kirovohrad. On the 24th, I called our embassy in Kyiv. They asked where I was, and I said I was in Kyiv. They replied, 'Run to Western Ukraine.' I told them that we have no car and no means to escape; they replied that they couldn’t do anything," said Arman Karapetyan.

He further mentioned that he had tried to contact the embassy again today. "Today I called, and a girl answered. She said the news that the embassy is helping Armenian citizens is fake. Maybe Azerbaijanis are spreading it, claiming that Armenians are being evacuated. That girl was crying on the phone, saying that there’s no one to evacuate us. She said she was talking to me from home, where they were being bombed outside her window, and she didn’t know what to do out of fear. Now, if I can’t approach the embassy, who can I rely on?" Arman Karapetyan added.

Regarding the statement released by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, which mentioned that Armenian citizens returning through the borders of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova will not require a visa, Arman Karapetyan responded: "Poland is currently accepting people without a visa. It is 750 km from Kirovohrad to the Polish border; moreover, I would have to go and wait there for 6-7 days to cross. Can you imagine what’s going on there now? We have no car or any means to reach there; we don’t know what to do. After all this, they release a statement saying the Armenian embassy is helping its citizens, and they even wrote that they are ready to help others. They can’t help us, so how can they help others? The embassy has told us to send our information, but they have 700-800 people's data and have not been able to assist anyone. The Armenian community in Ukraine is also in the same situation; they only connect with each other to inform each other about where military operations are taking place and that’s it. I repeat, the embassy is absolutely not helping at all," Arman Karapetyan concluded.