GUNTUR: Indian students stranded in Kharkiv spent the most dreadful day of their life after the war has begun as the Russian army entered the city on Sunday.
Roja, a third-year medical student of Kharkiv National Medical University, along with several other students and locals who have been taking refuge in a metro station, were petrified as they woke up to the sound of heavy explosions on Sunday.
The officials had given them strict instructions to turn off lights and the internet. With this, the students couldn’t contact their parents back home. Roja's father Venkateswara Rao appealed to the Indian embassy officials to take all possible steps to rescue the students stuck in the metro station.
"After learning that the Russian troops have entered Kharkiv, we weren't able to contact her for several hours. I can't even explain our situation. Finally, she called us and told us about the explosions outside and how the locals fear that the Russian troops might enter the station and take them hostage," Rao said.
Fierce battle
Russian forces are not able to take control of Kharkiv, where a fierce battle is underway. The city with 1.5 million people is located 40 km away from the Russian border