Pace of evacuation from Ukraine gathers momentum: MEA

New Delhi, March 3

The pace of India’s evacuation operation from Ukraine has gained momentum and about 1,000 Indians have left the worst-affected city of Kharkiv to a nearby town, said the Ministry of External Affairs here on Thursday.

The Indian side is in touch with both Ukrainian and Russian authorities to evacuate Indians from both Kharkiv and Sumy, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart on the evacuation of Indian students. “We are closely following the developments in Kharkiv, Sumy and other cities in eastern Ukraine. A large number of students have left Kharkiv and are currently in the nearby issue of Pisochyn. We estimate this number to be around 1,000,” said Bagchi.

“We are currently looking at transportation options to move them from there to western Ukraine or southern Ukraine depending on the transportation options,” he added.

Russia has readied 130 buses to evacuate stranded Indians and other foreigners from Kharkov and Sumy cities to Russia’s Belgorod Region, said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev of Russian military.

Mizintsev said places for temporary accommodation have been set up at checkpoints. “Evacuees will be provided hot meals and transported to Belgorod for their departure by air, including via Russian military airplanes,” he added.

India also denied competing claims by Ukraine and Russia that the other side had held Indian students hostage in Kharkiv on Wednesday.

The Kremlin claimed that some Indian students were taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces and were using them as human shields. The Ukrainians responded by “urgently calling” on India, Pakistan and China whose students have “become hostages” ask Russia to open a humanitarian passage to other Ukrainian cities.

The MEA said it did not receive any report of a hostage situation regarding Indian students in Kharkiv. In fact, New Delhi requested Ukrainians to arrange special trains for taking students out from the city and neighbouring areas. “We are in continuous touch with Indians in Ukraine. We note that with the cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv,” said Bagchi.