THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Thursday shot off a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for safe repatriation of Malayalis trapped in Ukraine, in view of the Russian military offensive against that country.
In the letter, the LoP has said that around 20,000 Indians, mostly Malayalis, are stranded in Ukraine and with acute shortage of flights and rising air fares, many of them, especially the students, are unable to afford the air tickets.
"With the war intensifying, Ukraine has started shutting down its major airports as there is an imminent threat to the airspace.
The families of these students back home are extremely worried about the safety of their children," Satheesan has said.
He has urged the MEA to take "prompt steps" to ensure their safe return.
A similar letter was sent on Wednesday by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president and MP K Sudhakaran to the Union Minister.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also referred to the problems being faced by Indians in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, while speaking to reporters in Kottayam, Muraleedharan said efforts were being made to arrange more flights, as per requirement, for bringing back Indians from Ukraine in view of the escalating political tensions there.
He had assured that the central government was responsible for ensuring safety and welfare of nearly 20,000 Indians, majority of them students, in Ukraine.
He had said that efforts were being made to arrange more flights in view of the situation that many Indians there do not have the requisite means to return and added that no one was being forced to come back.