Guwahati: India will arrange evacuation flights for Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. The cost of evacuation will be borne by the government, news agency ANI reported citing sources.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday assured all Indian citizens, including students, in Ukraine and their family members that the government will take all possible steps to bring them back safe and sound.
He said there were around 20,000 Indians in Ukraine and of them, nearly 4,000 have returned to India in the last few days.
PTI today reported that nearly 400 Indian students in Ukraine’s Sumy city bordering Russia have taken shelter in a basement after Russian forces took control of it.
The students have appealed to the government of India to evacuate them.
Sumy in northeastern Ukraine is about 50 miles from the Russian border. The city mayor surrendered to Russian forces on Thursday.
The students, most of whom are studying in Sumy State Medical University, said they fear for their safety as gunshots can be heard outside.
“Right now, we are hiding in the basement of our dormitory. We do not know if this basement is enough for us to survive. We urge the Indian government to try to evacuate us from the eastern side of Ukraine,” Lalit Kumar, one of the students, told PTI.
