NEW DELHI: With one Indian student killed in shelling in Kharkiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has propelled India’s evacuation from Ukraine by asking the Indian Air Force (IAF) to join in the evacuation process under Operation Ganga.
The IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft, a large transport aircraft. Until now, only private Indian carriers were involved in the evacuation process.
The IAF C-17 aircraft can carry 336 passengers at one time and was used in evacuation in Afghanistan. But in one of its missions, a US craft carried 670 passengers, which is a world record.
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Since Ukrainian airspace is shut, it is only the four bordering countries from where the evacuation is being done.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has identified the deceased student as Naveen, who hailed from Karnataka’s Haveri. It is reported that he had stepped out to buy some food when he got caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Kyiv, through a tweet, has asked all Indian nationals, including students, to leave Kyiv urgently preferably by available trains or through any other means available.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is calling in ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to India to reiterate India's demand for urgent safe passage for those stuck in Kharkiv and in other conflict zones. Similar action is also being taken by India’s ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine.