Several hundreds of citizens of Latin American countries were evacuated from Ukraine since the beginning of the armed conflict with Russia, others are waiting for assistance, some decided to stay and others moved out of the war scene on their own.
Some of the Latin Americans living in Ukraine at the outbreak of the war were evacuated by their governments by land and air, with the joint management of their chancelleries and embassies in Kiev and in several neighboring capitals.
Some Latin American countries, such as Chile and Uruguay, do not have physical diplomatic representation in Ukraine, so they had to resort to the efforts of their embassies in neighboring countries, such as Poland and Romania.
Others, such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru, arranged special operations with official vehicles and military aircraft to transport their citizens and even nationals from other Latin American countries who were able to join them.
Central America
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has established contact with four family groups, totaling 15 people. Of these, 9 are Costa Ricans (5 men, 1 woman and 3 minors); six are Ukrainians with family ties to Costa Ricans. One of the families is already in transit to a European country. Two other Costa Ricans have also managed to leave Ukraine, according to the government in San José.
Guatemala
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry reported 10 Guatemalans in Ukraine and only one requested to be evacuated.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua reported that there are 19 Nicaraguans who have been living in Ukraine for years, many of them naturalized, and that they are investigating the situation of another 28 who have legal resident status. “Our ambassador is in charge of communicating with each one of them and confirming if they are still there and if they require any support” said Vice President Rosario Murillo to official media.
Panama
Panama reported that the six Costa Rican nationals contacted in Ukraine “are well and out of danger”.
South America
Brazil
There were about 500 Brazilians in Ukraine, according to the government. About 80 have already left the country, especially through Poland and Romania, with the help of embassy transports, and another hundred remain on Ukrainian soil. On Sunday, 39 people – 37 Brazilians and two Uruguayans – arrived at the Brazilian embassy in Bucharest, among them footballers playing for Shakhtar Donetsk and their families.
Argentina
A total of 83 Argentines live in Ukraine and another 20 were temporarily in that country at the beginning of the Russian invasion, said the Foreign Ministry, which evacuated five couples who had arrived in Kiev to pick up their newborn surrogate children.
The Argentine embassy in Kiev is one of the four Latin American diplomatic offices in Ukraine and is working with countries in the region on a joint evacuation and assistance plan for its citizens.
Chile
A total of 49 Chileans and their families have residency in Ukraine, registered at the Chilean consulate in Poland because the country has no embassy in Kiev.
The acting foreign minister, Carolina Valdivia, offered an evacuation “by means of land transport” across the border to Poland.
As of Saturday, five Chileans had used that route and arrived safely in Polish territory, where they were assisted, President Sebastián Piñera said. Nine other Chileans were near the border, in contact with the government.
Colombia
There are 222 Colombians in Ukraine and as of Sunday 76 had left the country, the Foreign Ministry said. Bogota, through its embassy in Poland, organized the transfer of the displaced to shelters which, according to the Colombian government itself, had been preparing for at least a month.
Peru
Some 320 Peruvians live in Ukraine and at least 196 will be evacuated “at any moment to the border with Poland”, where a Peruvian Air Force plane, which left Lima as soon as the invasion was consummated, is waiting, according to the government.
The Peruvians and their children born on Ukrainian soil without passports were given safe conduct, Lima said.
Uruguay
The nine Uruguayans registered in Ukraine have already left the country through Poland and Moldova (seven crossed the border on Sunday and the remaining two on Monday), although the government does not rule out that there may be more.
Some are already traveling to other European destinations, others remain in Krakow (Poland) assisted by the embassy in Finland and the rest in Bucharest (Romania), also assisted by its embassy in that country.
Mexico
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that a Mexican Air Force plane arrived on Monday in Romania to evacuate Mexicans living in Ukraine as soon as there are conditions to do so.
According to information from the Foreign Ministry there were 225 Mexicans registered, along with their families, before the invasion, according to the Foreign Ministry. A first group of 32 people, including Ukrainian relatives, left Kiev for the border two weeks ago. Last week, 22 people left for Romania.
