CHENNAI/ TIRUPATTUR: Among the 2,223 students from Tamil Nadu studying in Ukraine, more than 770 have returned so far. The ceasefire has helped students reach the border faster, but those in the city of Sumy are still struggling, and have sent an SOS message saying they don't even have food and water, said State government officials.
In a video, a student stuck in Sumy, which is 40 km from the Russian border, said they are scared as roads are blocked and bombs are constantly exploding. "The Indian Embassy is not picking up calls. We are melting snow to get drinking water," said Yawar Hamid Bhat, of Sumy State University.
"We have been stuck here for nine days now. There were two bombings nearby. Three girls fainted and we didn't even have water. It is very difficult to be in this weather. Embassy officials are asking us to move to the western border, which is several hundred kilometres away. With all kinds of transport stopped from the city, we are unable to move," said a student.
In another video, students from Tamil Nadu said they are facing a similar situation, and sought urgent help from the government, saying they are finding it difficult to board trains due to overcrowding. Meanwhile, students who returned from Ukraine said they faced difficulties as they didn’t know Hindi, and priority was given to students from other Indian States.
When asked about this, Jacintha Lazarus IAS, Commissioner of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, State Nodal Officer for facilitating the evacuation of stranded Tamils in Ukraine and to coordinate with the Union government, said they received this complaint from some students.
"We have taken it up with the Indian Embassy. They have assured us they will try to ensure this doesn’t happen," she said. She added that SOS messages from students in Sumy have also been sent to the Ministry of External Affairs, and the State government has urged it to evacuate them urgently.
Meanwhile, a press release from the Tirupattur district administration said that as of 2 pm on Saturday, 23 students from the district were stranded in Ukraine, and seven of them have returned to their hometowns, and four have reached India. Of the remaining 12 students, 10 have reached Ukraine's neighbouring countries, while two are in Sumy. The administration added that efforts are on the airlift these students on Indian flights.
When asked if the State government paid to transport 35 students from Pesochin, Tamil Nadu government officials said yes. Meanwhile, the State government said they are constantly passing on advisories issued by the embassy through WhatsApp groups formed for each region/university.