More than 470 students were escorted across the border to Romania on Friday as Indian officials battled with a complex situation on the ground in Ukraine as they raced to push Indian people towards escape routes in the western portion of the country.
In a phone conversation between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the "situation of Indian nationals" came up. Jaishankar tweeted that he had spoken with Kuleba about the situation and thanked him for his "support for their safe return."
According to sources acquainted with the situation, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers has moved to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. After the city was bombarded by rockets, Russian forces entered the northern districts of Kyiv on Friday. According to CNN, US intelligence experts believe Kyiv will fall within days.
During a phone chat with Jaishankar, Kuleba conveyed his view of the current situation, emphasising that India supports diplomacy and negotiation as a path forward.
More than 470 students will leave Ukraine and enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret border crossing, according to the Indian embassy in Kyiv. “We are moving Indians located at the border to neighbouring countries for onward evacuation,” the embassy said.
“Efforts are underway to relocate Indians coming from the hinterland,” the mission added.
According to the sources referenced above, India's primary attention remained on the safety and evacuation of approximately 16,000 Indian citizens, the most of whom were students. Officials are also dealing with a variety of challenges, including acquiring visas for Indians and dealing with immunisation certificate issues.
The ministry of external affairs established camp offices in Lviv, some 70 kilometres from the Polish border, and Chernivtsi, near the Romanian border. Additional Russian-speaking employees were dispatched to the camp offices to help Indians depart for the two cities.
Due to the shutdown of Ukrainian airspace, the government arranged for Indians to be evacuated by charter planes from neighbouring nations, with two flights scheduled to arrive in Bucharest on Saturday. According to the residents, the government will cover the entire expense of the evacuation.
According to an Indian embassy statement, teams of Indian authorities were stationed at the Chop-Zahony border crossing with Hungary and the Porubne-Siret border crossing with Romania. Teams were also stationed at the Shehyni-Medyka and Krakowiec border crossings in Poland, as well as the Vysne Nemecke border crossing in Slovakia, according to officials.
Indian citizens should print Indian flags and display them "prominently on vehicles and buses while travelling," as well as bring their passports, cash for unexpected expenses, and Covid-19 immunisation certificates.
The advisory says, “In this difficult situation, Embassy of India requests Indians to continue to remain strong, safe and alert.”
Indian people, particularly students living near the Hungarian and Romanian borders, were “advised to depart first in an organized manner, in coordination with teams from Ministry of External Affairs” according to the Indian government. Indians who have their own transportation should proceed to the two border check stations and call the hotline numbers for assistance at the border.
Hundreds of Indian students were also said to have sought cover in bomb shelters in areas like Kharkiv, Ukraine's northeastern city.
Hundreds of Indian students were also said to have sought cover in bomb shelters in areas like Kharkiv, Ukraine's northeastern city.
Due to operational challenges, two Air India flights to Bucharest, Romania's capital, were cancelled on Friday. On Saturday, two more flights are scheduled to depart for Romania and Hungary. The AI 1941 flight to Bucharest (Romania) departs at 7.30 a.m. and arrives in Delhi at 10 p.m. On Sunday, flight AI 1939 from Delhi will depart at 9 a.m. for Budapest (Hungary) and arrive at 1.30 a.m. in Delhi. Two more flights from Mumbai are scheduled to depart for Romania and Hungary.
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