Nearly 16,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine as Russian forces carry out an attack by land, air, and sea on the former Soviet republic.
According to the website of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, there are more than 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine, and 18,000 of them are students. They constitute the largest group out of the nearly 76,000 foreign students studying in Ukraine.
Indian students are exchanging messages, videos of Russian missiles hitting different parts of Ukraine but do not know how to reach a safer place. While some students had planned to take the first flight out of Ukraine the closure of the airport left them stranded in Metro stations and underground shelters. Students appeal for immediate evacuation as Russian forces attack Ukrainian cities.
Since the war began, around 4,000 Indians have been able to leave Ukraine, but 16,000 are still stranded.
The state governments have urged the Centre to ensure students stuck in the war-torn country are safely evacuated.
The government is trying to organise evacuation flights for Indians stuck in Ukraine from neighbouring countries. Teams are heading to Ukraine’s borders with Hungary and Poland to try and bring back its citizens.
Ukraine shut its airspace shortly after Russia declared war on the country and launched an attack in major cities.
An Air India flight to Ukraine capital Kyiv made a u-turn and returned to Delhi yesterday.