NEW DELHI: Nearly 8000 Indian citizens have returned from Ukraine since the first advisory was issued by the Indian Embassy in Kyiv last month.
The Indian government has taken all measures to ensure the safe evacuation of the remaining Indians stranded there. Since the evacuation process began, a few days back, six evacuation flights have returned to India bringing back 1396 students.
Four flights have come from Bucharest and two from Budapest. The government is bearing the entire cost of these flights so nobody has to pay anything, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
In order to coordinate and oversee the evacuation process across five countries, four Senior Ministers have left for the bordering countries of Ukraine. These are Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who will oversee operations in Romania and Moldova, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri who will be in Hungary, Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijju who will be in Slovakia and Minister of State in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways General V K Singh who will be in Poland.
"Situation on the ground is complex and fluid. However, we will accelerate evacuation process so that the remaining 12,000 Indians are brought back safely to India,’’ Bagchi added.
The Indian embassy in Warsaw has arranged 10 buses to transport Indians from the border regions into Poland. Arrangement has been made for food and accommodation in Poland.
India is also planning to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine – which would include basic essentials like medicines and food.
"We have opened a new route through Moldova today morning. They will arrange evacuation through Romania. This will help Indians from Odessa and Southern Ukraine,’’ Bagchi said.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has spoken with his counterparts in Moldova, Poland and Hungary to ensure that Indian evacuation process is as seamless as possible.
Today, the weekend curfew was lifted in Kyiv and Kharkhov so students have been encouraged to take trains to reach the western border of Ukraine.
The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has been requesting all its citizens to coordinate their journey details with them and not head to the borders directly.
A special Twitter handle (OpGangaHelpline) has been set up by the MEA to assist and update the evacuation process.
More flights will be added as and when there is a possibility of getting back more people. The strength of the embassies in the four bordering countries of Ukraine (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania) have been increased to facilitate the Indians who are heading back home.