An Indian student identified as 21-year-old Naveen Shekharappa was killed today in Kharkhiv city of Ukraine when Russian troops blew up a government building on Tuesday.
"With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family," tweeted the External Affairs Ministry.
"He lived near the Governor’s House; he was standing in the queue for food. Suddenly there was an air strike blew up the Governor’s House and he was killed," NDTV reported.
Around 16,000 Indian students are still stranded in Ukraine. Around 9,000 Indian nationals have left by various special flights.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, there are around 18,095 Indian students in the country. In 2020, 24% of its overseas students were from India.
As per JKSA (Jammu and Kashmir Students association,) there are more than 200 Kashmiri students stranded in different cities of Ukraine.
Many students have shared photos and videos on social media from underground bunkers, metro stations and bomb shelters, where they have been hiding since the Russian attack started last Thursday.
Several Indian students remain stuck in eastern parts of Ukraine, which is most affected by the Russian military offensive, and they are finding it difficult to travel by road to reach the western borders.
Students have also been walking to the borders in sub-zero conditions, hoping to cross over and take a flight to India.
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday after months of tension over the former Soviet republic’s proximity to NATO.
