First batch of evacuees reach Romania

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: India on Friday was grappling with complexities in evacuating its citizens from Ukraine through land border crossings in view of rapidly advancing Russian troops and chaotic ground situation as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the “predicament” of the stranded Indian nationals with his Ukrainian counterpart.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the first batch of evacuees from Ukraine reached Romania via Suceava border crossing and Indian officials will now facilitate their travel to Bucharest for their onward journey to India. Bagchi also shared on Twitter visuals of Indians crossing the Romania-Ukraine border.
Hours before the first batch exited Ukraine, the Indian embassy in Kyiv said over 470 students will enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret border on Friday and that it is moving them to neighbouring countries for onward evacuation.
Notwithstanding the difficult ground situation, India managed to set up camp offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine to facilitate the transit of Indians to Hungary, Romania and Poland, officials said. India also positioned teams of officials at Zahony border post in Hungary, Krakowiec as well as Shehyni-Medyka land border points in Poland, Vysne Nemecke in the Slovak Republic and Suceava transit point in Romania to coordinate exit of Indian nationals from Ukraine, they said.
Senior officials said Air India will operate two flights to the Romanian capital Bucharest to bring back the Indians on Saturday. More flights are likely to operate in the next few days.
It is learnt that managing visas for the stranded Indians to enter Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia has become a major challenge for the Indian officials.
The requirement of COVID-19 vaccination certificates has emerged as another issue for the entry of Indians into these four countries.
Meanwhile, the Russian attack continued for second consecutive day on Friday.
The Indian embassy in Kyiv said that the “massive evacuation” operation was organised through the joint efforts of Indian embassies in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Hungary and that efforts are underway to relocate Indians coming in from the hinterland.
As concerns mounted in India over the well-being of its citizens, Russian diplomatic sources said the Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine should stay calm and remain wherever they are.
The sources said President Vladimir Putin conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night that the Russian military operation in Ukraine does not represent any threat to the civilian population.
The sources said Russia will definitely extend assistance to India for the evacuation of its citizens from Ukraine if it receives any specific request.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine appealed to the Indians to continue to remain “strong, safe and alert” in “this difficult” and assured them that the Indian government and the mission are working to establish evacuation routes.
In a separate development, Russia said it expects support from India at the UN Security Council when the global body takes up a crucial resolution on the Russian military operation in Ukraine. (PTI)