AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: Planning to return to India, they were hopeful of catching a flight back home. Then came the news that war had broken out. Ukraine's airspace was closed.
Having nearly exhausted food items knowing that they were headed home, they suddenly find themselves with little to eat. Buying food is difficult also because not many groceries and malls are open. To make matters worse, even ATMs are not working.
Indian students in Ukraine are going through a nightmare. Jahanvi Thaker, a student from Ahmedabad, said the situation is getting serious. "Since we thought we were leaving for India, we had emptied all necessary food items. Now, it is difficult to find food. Being a vegetarian makes it tougher. Most grocery stores are empty. We have contacted the embassy," she said.
Drashti Navle, a final-year medical student from Ahmedabad, said panic buying has started, making the situation worse. "People are flocking to shopping malls. Since nobody knows when this will end, everybody is trying to suy everything," she said.
Access to money has also become a problem. According to Ghaziabad’s Ahmed Javed, this is making thigs worse. "Internet, ATMs and banking services have stopped working and so has the local transport system. Students have not been able to book bus or train tickets," said the 25-year-old in Odessa.
In Kharkiv, even drinking water has become a problem. "People don't drink tap water here, as it is highly contaminated. We all buy water from dedicated dispensers. Like others, I also struggled to buy food and found some dry items after a long time," said Aousaf Hussain, a 26-year-old in Kharkiv.
He was preparing for a long night. "We will sleep on the floor at a metro station. I have blankets, but the temperature often falls to 3-4 degrees at night," he added. They have no idea for how long they have to bear this.