Embassy continues to function 24X7 with help line for Indians in Ukraine
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Mar, 2022 12:30 PM
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) The Indian Embassy in Ukraine, which has been temporarily relocated from Kiev to Warsaw due to the fighting, on Friday said that it has been functioning round the clock for Indian nationals in Ukraine who are trying to seek assistance and they can contact it through email and help line numbers.
In an advisory, it also circulated the email: cons1.kyiv@mea.gov.in and the official numbers- +3809333559958,+919205290802,+917428022564.
Soon after the war broke out between Ukraine and Russia on February 24, the majority of the Indian diplomats had moved from the Ukrainian capital to Lviv which is close to the Ukraine-Poland border. But the Indian Embassy in Kiev was kept functional, with a few officials stationed there to coordinate with the Ukrainian authorities on the evacuation of Indians from the country.
The External Affairs Ministry recently decided to temporarily shift the embassy in Warsaw after the Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian city increased as by that time, the evacuation of the Indian nationals was almost done.
In a statement on March 13, the MEA said: "In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine will be temporarily relocated in Poland."
The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments, it added.
Also, guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the Prime Minister said that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing nations who are stranded in Ukraine, seeking assistance.
There are currently 14 major medical colleges in Ukraine in which more than 18,000 Indian students are pursuing MBBS and BDS courses. Out of these, about 1,000 have returned home while efforts are on to bring back the rest.
Modi thanked Heger for the assistance provided by Slovakia in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine, and for permitting special evacuation flights from India. He asked for Slovakia's continued assistance in the next few days with India undertaking a mission to evacuate other citizens from conflict zones.
Sidhu has urged the apex court not to punish him with a jail term in a 1988 road rage case in which he was let off with a meagre fine of Rs 1,000. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Gurnam Singh's family, submitted that he has moved an application seeking enlargement of the scope of the notice issued.
With Ukraine closing its airspace after Russia launched a military operation in the country on Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Kiev has asked the Indian nationals to start moving towards the bordering areas so that they can be evacuated safely.
The Indian Embassy in Kiev stated that the helpline numbers are being set up at the respective check-points to facilitate evacuation through the borders. These control rooms will be based in Poland, Romania and Hungary and they will be managed by the Indian officials posted in those countries.
