Ukraine crisis: Some students bring pets on IAF's evacuation flights

New Delhi, March 3

A few students also brought their pet dogs and cats on the Indian Air Force’s evacuation flights that arrived from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to Hindon air base here on Thursday morning.

Yukta, a student from Pune, brought her seven-month-old Siberian Husky puppy Neela on one of the four IAF’s flights that landed here.

Commenting on Neela, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Twitter that I am sure the puppy would have been a well behaved passenger.

“Will see both (Yukta and Neela) of you again when I am back. Take care. Jai Hind,” he added.

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine’s western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.

Singh said some of the evacuees “brought their four legged best friends” on IAF flights.

Just like dogs, a few students brought their pet cats too on the IAF flights.

During the last few days, a couple of Indian students — who were stranded in Ukraine — had declared that they will not leave the war-torn country without their pets.

For example, Arya Aldrin, a medical student at National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Vinnytsya, had reportedly said she won’t leave her five-month-old Siberian Husky puppy Zaira behind. She was praised for this decision by Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Facebook.

Approximately 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on Tuesday.

Four Union ministers have gone to Ukraine’s western neighbours to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals.

Hardeep Singh Puri is in Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia is in Romania, Kiren Rijiju is in Slovakia and V K Singh is in Poland.