The Ministry of External Affairs (India) is sending teams to the ‘land borders in Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania’ to assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in the country.
Ukraine shares its western border with these countries, while Russia is attacking Ukraine from the eastern side.
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Poland and Slovakia are on Ukraine’s western border, while Hungary and Romania are on its South-West.
Among these countries, the border with Poland is the nearest to Ukrainian capital Kyiv. However, it is still 504 kilometers away, at the border town of Starovoitove. The nearest checkpoints for the Slovakian border is at Uzzhorod (817 km), Hungarian border at Solomonovo (824 km), and Romanian border at Terebleche (578 km).
However, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted that he had spoken to his counterparts in these four countries.
Moreover, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Indian Air Force aircraft are ready, in case they need to be pressed into service for evacuation.
Of the estimated 20,000 Indians in Ukraine, about 4,000 managed to leave the country in the last few weeks, he said.
MEA teams are being sent to Hungary’s Zahony border post, opposite Uzhhorod in Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine; Poland’s Krakowiec border; Slovak Republic’s Vysne Nemecke border; and Romania’s Suceava border. Indian nationals in Ukraine near these border points have been asked to contact these teams.
"The Indian Embassy in Kyiv will try to create a convoy from Kyiv to the Polish border, but Indians in disparate regions of the country (Ukraine) should head to their nearest border points on the western side if they safely can," an official said.
While asking Indians to maintain calm, the Embassy had also asked the students to possibly head to the western borders of Ukraine, considered to be relatively safer. It later put out an advisory stating that "since the Ukrainian airspace has been closed, the schedule for special flights stands canceled", and further stressing that alternative arrangements are being made for the evacuation of Indian nationals.
"Please carry your passports and other necessary documents on your person at all times," it said.
Earlier, MEA said in an advisory that “as you are aware, Ukraine is under martial law, which has made movement difficult; we are aware that certain places are hearing air sirens/ bomb warnings. In case you are faced with such a situation, Google Maps has a list of nearby bomb shelters, many of which are located in underground metros.”
“While the Mission is identifying possible solutions to the situation, please be aware of your surroundings, be safe, do not leave your homes unless necessary and carry your documents with you at all times,” it said.
The Embassy also said it was in touch with establishments to put up students stranded in Kyiv.
Indian Ambassador to Ukraine Partha Satpathy said the Indian embassy in Kyiv continues to operate round the clock looking out for the safety of all the Indians.
“I am inundated with calls, so is the Embassy, and we are doing our best to help. If there is a critical emergency, contact us on the emergency lines provided,” Satpathy said.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladmir Putin talked on Thursday about the recent developments regarding Ukraine. Apart from this, Modi appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue.
Prime Minister Modi also sensitised the Russian President about India’s concerns regarding the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students, and conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return to India, added PMO.
