'We thought war would never reach here': Ukrainians trapped in Dubai amid explosions
“When we arrived and saw the scale of the city and the country in general, their enormous airport, developed infrastructure, and the number of wealthy people, we thought that war would never happen here. But then the airstrikes started, and you feel a bit horrified by it all,” says 19-year-old Ukrainian Sofiia Borysovets.
She is one of the Ukrainians who found themselves effectively blocked in Dubai after the sudden closure of airspace over parts of the region. Due to explosions and air defense activity, flights have been canceled, and people cannot return home.
Tourists describe hearing airstrikes and explosions in the city, poor communication with the embassy and consulate, and conflicting information from airlines.
Even in places that seem stable and safe, the situation can change overnight.
"I felt safer in Ukraine"
On February 24, Sofiia and her boyfriend flew to Dubai for a vacation. They were scheduled to return home on March 1. But on the fifth day of their stay in the city, explosions began. Airspace was closed.
“We were relaxing by the pool when we saw the news that hostilities had broken out involving Israel, Iran, and the United States. And then we heard three loud explosions,” Sofiia Borysovets recounts.
She says that Europeans and Americans vacationing there were not frightened at all: “It scared only us and the Russian tourists. Other people, who do not understand what war is like, did not even get scared… When we were by the pool and heard the explosions, there were children there, but the parents did not hide them anywhere.”
That same evening, the explosions repeated, and at night, air raid alerts came in. Sofiia explains that there are no sirens in the city, so she and her boyfriend read messages posted by Ukrainians on the ground.
Veronika Ostrovska is another Ukrainian who found herself effectively blocked in Dubai. She came to the city on business for two weeks.
“A few days ago, in the morning, I started hearing explosions characteristic of Ukraine. Honestly, in Ukraine, I felt much safer. First, because there are shelters in Ukraine… Here, there are none. In my building, there are five above-ground parking levels, so that does not help at all. There is no sense of security,” the young woman notes.
Due to frequent explosions, Veronika barely sleeps and constantly monitors tickets, which sell out instantly.
“A transfer comes for me, but does not arrive because someone buys it out. And the information is always different: now airports are opening, now closing,” the Ukrainian says.
In a state of uncertainty
The consulate in Dubai insists that the situation in the city remains stable and under control. However, airspace is still closed because explosions continue in some areas of the city, and air defense systems are operating. Dubai's international airports are not functioning.
After the first explosions, Veronika Ostrovska began asking locals how everything is organized there, and whether they have sufficient water reserves. But they do not understand what war is, she says.
And in general, they do not unite here to do something — the way we did in the first days of the war. And I could not understand why. But now I understand. Because Ukrainians have an idea and a sense of unity, that Ukrainians are fighting for themselves. But here, everyone is of different nationalities, and each is for themselves.Veronika Ostrovska, Ukrainian model and TV presenter
According to her observations, local residents are not particularly worried about the situation in the city — they say that “everything is fine” and “we will be protected.” Although Veronika notes that Dubai Mall — the world's largest shopping and entertainment center — is now empty because there are very few people.
The Dubai Department of Economy & Tourism sent a circular letter to all hotels in the city requesting that tourists retain the same living conditions they had before, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
“In our hotel, they gave us the lowest rate, but for that we had to stand and persuade them… They extended our booking… We did not plan for [such additional expenses], but no one could predict that the sky would be closed. But it happened. We cannot live on the street,” says Sofiia Borysovets.
The young woman asserts that during the explosions, the hotel administration did not offer anyone to go down to the parking garage or to a shelter.
“That is, there is not even any information about it… The hotel closed the pool on the 13th floor and covered the terrace with glass so there would be no open space. But otherwise, everything else is operating,” Sofiia notes.
When fighter jets fly at night, the sound is very loud, the Ukrainian recalls. Because of that, she says, it was scary to go to bed.
You You do not understand whether these are already the sounds of explosions or what is happening at all. The first days were anxious. But now, when everyone is out walking, everything is operating, no one hides anywhere, no one is afraid, then it is calm. Sofiia Borysovets, Ukrainian model
Evacuation is not on the table yet
Currently, about 250,000 Ukrainians are in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated. As of now, there has been no information about injuries or deaths of Ukrainian citizens due to the escalation of the security situation.
“We know about problems with departures in those countries where the sky is closed. In all situations, embassies are in contact with citizens, providing necessary consultations,” he notes.
Overall, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hotline as of the morning of March 2 recorded about 30 appeals — mostly related to delayed flights.
Sybiha asserts that, on the instructions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now working to ensure effective consular assistance for Ukrainians. And that Ukrainian embassies are working with local services, authorities of host countries, and European partners, and “in constant contact with our citizens.”
hromadske was unable to obtain responses from the Ukrainian consulate in Dubai. Sofiia Borysovets also could not.
“We called them March 1yesterday, today — no one picks up… Today we visited them — they simply said that they have no information because it happened over the weekend. There are no evacuation flights now. They cannot help with accommodation or departure in any way. They say it is all airline problems,” Sofiia Borysovets adds.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is analyzing developments and preparing possible scenarios and actions, including evacuation. And some citizens have already been moved overland to safe places in Egypt.
“By my feelings, the situation is tense,” Veronika says. “I talked to people who work in government agencies here, and they themselves do not know what will happen… They are preparing how to behave in such a crisis situation.”