Ukrainian Mother and Baby Fleeing Russian Invasion Denied Flight by Authorities to San Francisco

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By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Mar 17, 08:10 am

Photo: (Photo : LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images)

A Ukrainian mother and her four-month-old baby who fled from Kyiv because of the Russian invasion were unable to board a flight bound for San Francisco International Airport because the young child did not have a travel visa and passport.

Olha Korol and her baby boy, Severyn Korotniuk, left Ukraine after the Russian forces invaded their country. However, Korol's husband and father stayed behind in the capital city of Kyiv as men of fighting age were barred from leaving the country.

Korol narrated her plight to KRON4, saying she and her son took a lengthy 20-hour bus ride before reaching the German city of Frankfurt, where they are both currently stranded. The two of them had already secured plane tickets to fly from Frankfurt to San Francisco in the United States on March 7 with the mother and child hoping to connect with family members living in San Jose, California.

Korol emotional after her baby was denied flight to San Francisco

Korol was emotional when recalling their difficulties, saying, "I went to the Ukrainian consulate in Frankfurt. They put a photo of my baby in my passport. They put stamps showing it's official and legal. They said it should be enough." Korol then said that her son is an infant who is small and doesn't have anything, but when they were about to board their plane, the airlines did not grant them entry because the baby did not have a passport.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, the war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, forcing more than 3 million civilians to flee the war-torn country. The UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, is worried about the ongoing mass exodus, telling CBS News that this is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Number of Ukrainian refugees rising as fighting intensifies

Most of the Ukrainian refugees displaced by the Russian conflict are crossing to neighboring countries to the west, such as Moldova, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. As of March 15, UN figures show Poland taking in 1,857,045 refugees, making it the most popular destination for civilians fleeing Ukraine.

Romania has taken in 467,703 refugees from Ukraine, while 344,454 refugees crossed over to the Republic of Moldova. Hungary and Slovakia have also taken in a fair share of refugees from Ukraine. At least 272,943 refugees went to Hungary, while 220,977 displaced people from Ukraine crossed the Slovakian border.

According to the UNHCR, some Ukrainian refugees have also fled to Russia and Belarus, the countries that are currently waging war against them. At least 155,841 people crossed the Russian border from Ukraine, while 1,816 refugees traveled to Belarus.

Korol may be in a bind now with the uncertain status of her baby, but that is nothing compared to the hardships her husband and father are facing back in Ukraine. According to Korol, she feels guilty that she can breathe when going outside in Germany. That is a luxury that her husband and father can't afford right now, with the two of them staying in bomb shelters because of the Russian attacks.