KOCHI: Mohammad Ziyad, the 18-year-old student pursuing veterinary science at Lviv University, moved to Shehyni at the Ukraine-Poland border on Friday. He says over 100 students are stranded there after Poland denied them entry. Though the Indian embassy promised help, no real assistance has come their way in the last four days.
For those like Ziyad who are at Lviv, in western Ukraine, being closer to Poland at least gives them hope of faster evacuation. The same cannot be said about those at Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and others stuck in eastern Ukraine.
Over 300 Malayali students are stuck in Sumy city that shares borders with Russia. The region has received minimal attention from the media too. They have been making repeated appeals to the Indian embassy for evacuation.
Sumy is just 50 miles from the Russian border and the majority of the students belong to the Sumy State Medical University. They are living in fear, as the sound of gunshots close in.
“Around 480 Indian students live in the hostel, of which over 300 are Malayalis. Since Sumy is not as big as Kharkiv or the capital city Kyiv, we feel the region is not receiving much attention. The Indian media and public are unaware that such a large Indian student population is stranded here. Since Sumy is closer to Russia than most cities in Ukraine, it is easily accessible for them, which makes us extremely vulnerable. We are requesting immediate help from the Indian government,” says Ajith Gangadharan, a fourth-year medical student.
According to the students, with each passing day, things are getting worse. In the first few days, they could hear only gunshots. The sound of explosions was faint. “Ukrainians are now roaming around with guns and weapons for self-defence as suggested by their government. They also make Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs). Recently, buildings near our hostel caught fire. We spotted snipers in the opposite building too. According to news reports, Russian military officials have begun looting people,” says Ajith.
A 12-hour curfew, which starts from 6pm, is also in place. Whenever the siren signals an attack, the students rush to the basement of their hostel with their passport, necessary documents, and food.
“The bunkers are congested and filled with dust. It is even more difficult for students with allergies. It’s winter here and inside the bunkers, the temperature drops below freezing point,” said another Malayali student.
The students are surviving with biscuits and snacks, and their inventory is likely to run out in two days. As there is a drinking water shortage, the students boil the tap water. “Only a few shops are open, and the majority of them are located two kilometres away from our hostel. Stocks run out by the time we get there,” says Ajith. “We are surviving with the money we had in hand. Some shops won’t accept cards anymore,” he added.
Road transit risky
Currently, active evacuation is happening on the western side of Europe, near Hungary, Poland and Romania. “To reach Poland’s border, we have to travel over 1,200km. The roads are blocked in several parts, and the forces have destroyed bridges as well,” they said. The students are reaching out to the Indian embassy as often as possible and they have asked them to stay put.
“They have asked us to travel at our own risk. We are looking for inter-city taxis options. To get all of us across, we will need many vehicles, but most drivers refuse to take us,” says Ajith.
Huddled together
Over 300 Malayali students are stuck in Sumy city that shares borders with Russia. The majority of the students belongs to Sumy State Medical University. Despite multiple pleas, no help has come their way so far. They are running out of food too.