NEW DELHI, March 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and discussed the situation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where many Indian students are stuck amid Russia ramping up its military offensive on Ukraine’s key locations.
to reach Budomierz, Poland. (PTI)
An official statement said the two leaders discussed the safe evacuation of the Indians from the conflict areas in Ukraine and reviewed the situation, especially in Kharkiv.
India asked Russia to facilitate the safe passage of Indians from various conflict zones after the killing of an Indian student in shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.
At a media briefing, Russian Ambassador-designate Denis Alipov said his country is working “intensely” to create a “humanitarian corridor” for a safe passage to Russian territory of the Indians stuck in Kharkiv, Sumy and other conflict zones in Ukraine.
The Modi-Putin telephonic conversation, the second between them in six days, came amid mounting concerns in India over the safety of the Indian students in Kharkiv that has been witnessing increasing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
family’s arrival at the border crossing in Medyka,
southeastern Poland. (PTI)
“The leaders reviewed the situation in Ukraine, especially in the city of Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck. They discussed the safe evacuation of the Indian nationals from the conflict areas,” the statement said.
India asked its nationals on Wednesday to leave Kharkiv urgently to three nearby places “even on foot”.
Modi held another high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis on Wednesday night as the four Union ministers sent to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries coordinated the stepped-up rescue efforts with the deployment of planes by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
In an urgent advisory, the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked the Indians to reach the Ukrainian towns of Pesochyn (11 km from Kharkiv), Babai (12 km) and Bezlydivka (16 km) by 9:30 pm IST.
The advisory came amid Russia stepping up its attacks on key Ukrainian cities and a day after an Indian medical student died in shelling in Kharkiv.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing that the Indian embassy has asked the Indians to leave Kharkiv immediately on the basis of information from the Russian side.
check people’s identity cards as they flee their
neighbourhoods, on the outskirts of Kyiv. (PTI)
“The students who cannot find vehicles or buses and are in railway station can proceed on foot to Pesochyn, Babai and Bezlydivka,” the advisory said.
It is learnt that the Russian side has informed India about the possible increase in intensity in fighting in Kharkiv and suggested that all Indians should leave the city.
Separately, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the “deteriorating” situation in Ukraine with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Estonian counterpart Eva-Maria Liimets.
As India shored up efforts to evacuate its citizens, four C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the IAF with approximately 800 evacuees from Ukraine are slated to land at the Hindon airbase on Thursday, sources said.
“We now estimate that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine’s borders since our advisories were issued. This of course includes some Indians who had not registered with the embassy earlier,” he added.
Bagchi said the number of flights under “Operation Ganga” has increased sharply and that six flights landed in India in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 15. He said the total number of Indians who have returned on board these flights is 3,352. Of them, 1,796 were evacuated through Romania, 430 through Poland and 1,126 through Hungary. Meanwhile, an Indian national — Chandan Jindal — died in Ukraine due to natural causes. He was in a hospital for the last few days after suffering an ischemic stroke. (PTI)
