COIMBATORE: Even after the Tamil Nadu government announced that the last batch of students who were stranded in Ukraine was rescued, the family of a Coimbatore native, who has joined the foreign nation's paramilitary group, still awaits his return.
According to official sources, rescue operations will be carried out only if anyone calls for help from Ukraine. The parents of R Sainikhesh have been making repeated attempts to reach their son and convince him to return home.
Sainikhesh joined as a volunteer in Ukraine's paramilitary group to fight against Russian forces and did not return to India. His family has been urging the Union and State government to rescue their son.
R Sainikhesh (21) from Thudiyalur in the district, was pursuing his higher studies at National Aerospace University - Kharkiv Aviation Institute in Ukraine's Kharkiv. He had recently joined Georgian National Legion, a paramilitary unit of volunteers mostly comprising citizens of Georgia, who are currently engaged in combat alongside the Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Ravichandran, Sainikhesh's father, said, "We could not reach him. We can communicate only when he contacts us. The last we spoke was three days ago when the news about him joining Ukraine's paramilitary came. He said he was safe and asked us not to worry about him. He avoided answering us when we asked about his return to India. However, we feel he knows our situation and might return safely. Government authorities have assured us to bring our son back. We expect good news soon."
Rajya Sabha MP and a member of the State-constituted special team for the evacuation operations, Trichy N Siva, said, "As many as 1,890 students were rescued from Ukraine so far. Efforts to identify people who need help is underway." Even so, 31 students in Ukraine refused to return, MP N Siva added.