ALAPPUZHA: As the standoff between a belligerent Russia and Ukraine getting to a boiling point, concerns are increasing among Indian families and students in the European country. More than 20,000 students are studying, mainly for medicine, in the country and of them, more than 5,000 are from Kerala.
The Indian Embassy in Kyiv issued an advisory to the community on Tuesday that the Indian nationals, mainly students, whose stay is not essential, may consider leaving the country temporarily. “The Indians are also advised to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine,” it said.
However, the students staying in Ukraine are confident about the situation. A native of Kayamkulam, who is pursuing MBBS in Kyiv, said, “We are safe as of now and there’s no tension in the region. I am pursuing final year MBBS course and the classes are going on as normal. We have not yet decided to leave the country yet but will take a decision per the embassy’s direction,” she told TNIE over the phone from Kyiv, the capital of the country.
Eleesa, a first-year medicine undergraduate student at Zaporizhzhya State Medical University, said there is no tension.
“Life is normal in the city. Our classes have been going on online for the past two weeks after the Covid cases increased in the city. There’s no tension related to the imminent war. The university authorities have also assured us of our safety and advised us there’s no need to leave now. The embassy is also supportive and the officials have collected the details of all students studying in the country,” she said.
The embassy’s advisory also says, “Indian nationals are requested to keep the embassy informed about the status of their presence in Ukraine to enable it to reach them when required. The embassy continues to function normally to provide all services to the Indian nationals.”
Meanwhile, Geetha Krishnan of Cherthala, mother of a student studying in Kharkiv, another city in the country, said, “We are more concerned about the situation in the country. There are very few flights to India from Ukraine and the government should ensure flights to bring back Indians if the situation worsens.”
Alappuzha MP A M Ariff wrote a letter to Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar demanding him to make arrangements to bring back Indians if the situation turns worse. “The Union ministry should advise the embassy in Kyiv to make arrangements to manage any crisis which may arise,” the MP said in his letter.