NEW DELHI: Around 18,000 Indians have left Ukraine so far. Though some are camped in countries bordering Ukraine, waiting for their turn to be evacuated, nearly 10,500 have reached India.
It is possible that more than the estimated 20,000 Indians were living in Ukraine as some may not have registered with the embassy. The next few days will reveal the exact numbers as it is possible that some Indians would still be stuck in the eastern part of Ukraine, said foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
"As part of the Operation Ganga, 15 flights reached the bordering nations of Ukraine in one day and brought back 3000 people. During the next 24 hours, 18 flights have been scheduled, out of which three are from Indian Air Force (C17) and the remaining are from private carriers like Air India, Spicejet, Indigo, and GoAir," said Bagchi.
During the next 24 hours 18 flights have been scheduled, out of which three are from Indian Air Force (C17) and the remaining are from private carriers
Regarding sending the body of Naveen to India (the only Indian student who lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv) the spokesperson said that they were constantly in touch with the authorities in Kharkiv.
"The situation is volatile on the ground as it is a conflict zone, but we are trying our best to facilitate sending Naveen’s body back to India," the spokesperson added.
The Indian embassy has shifted part of its operations to Lviv where they are facilitating the evacuation process. There was a proposal to send some officials on the eastern border too, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Meanwhile, three tranches of humanitarian aid have been sent to Ukraine which consists of medicines and other essentials.