Around 600 students, stuck in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, will be evacuated as the Indian embassy officials have reached nearby Poltava and advised them to be prepared to “leave at a short notice”, V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, told News18, in an exclusive interview.
“Amidst heavy shelling, the Indian embassy officials have reached Poltava, which is two hours away from Sumy. We advise the students to be prepared to leave at short notice. All of them have been very brave until now, we want them to be just a bit more patient. Every single person will be brought back safely,” Muraleedharan said.
As part of the Operation Ganga evacuation drive, India has successfully brought close to 17,000 students back to India until Monday morning. Another 2,000 have crossed the Ukrainian borders.
With nearly 100 flight trips made between Poland, Romania, Ukraine and India to retrieve all Indians, the embassy officials have been working “tirelessly” to reach every corner of Ukraine, he explained.
“The students who have crossed the borders towards Poland, Romania and Moldova are all safe with Indian officials. They have been given food and accommodation,” he added.
On Sunday, the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all Indians, who are still stuck in different parts of Ukraine, to fill up an online form on an urgent basis.
“All Indian nationals who still remain in Ukraine are requested to fill up the details contained in Google on an URGENT BASIS. Be Safe Be Strong,” it said in a tweet.
Buses are also being arranged to bring students stuck in Eastern Ukraine towards the calmer borders. Several students have informed the ministry of external affairs that transportation has become a big challenge. There were instances when students were left behind by local van drivers while travelling towards the Romanian border for fear of being attacked in the shelling.
So far, 6,680 Indians have been rescued from the Romania border; 2,822 from Poland; 5,300 from Hungary; and 1,118 from Slovakia, said a recent tweet by civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
About the future of these students, Muraleedharan confirmed that parents and students had raised concerns about continuing education in India. “We have been listening to their concerns and have taken note of it. Let us first complete our mission. We will sit to discuss this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today, according to government sources.
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