16 kids killed in explosions, claims Ukrainian envoy to India
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Feb, 2022 11:40 AM
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Ukrainian envoy to India Igor Polikha on Monday claimed that 16 children have been killed so far due to "explosions, bombings, and shelling" by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian envoy said: "We are suffering a lot of civilian casualties. According to official information of our Ministry, already 16 children have been killed in bombings, shelling as a result of Russian peace-fighting operation".
The biggest transport plane Mriya was destroyed by the Russian forces. It is very difficult to rebuild this kind of plane, he added further while addressing the media.
While requesting foreign partners to exert pressure on the Russian President to stop the war, Polikha said that air space of Europe was closed for the Russian airplanes. The Russian economy is going down every day. Russia is having absolutely unprecedented casualties. Approximately 5,300 Russian soldiers have lost their lives in the ongoing tussle, he claimed.
"Today, our delegation went to hold the first round of peace talks. Continuous shelling, bombing took place even during the peace talks", said Igor Polikha.
He said that the number of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded 4 lakh. If the war is not stopped, the number can reach up to 7 million. There are long queues on the border. Lakhs of Ukrainians are standing in queues, trying to cross the border, said the Ukrainian ambassador.
He also said that he has the same information which Indian officials have on the question of the evacuation of students, adding that he is in regular contact with them there.
India is working out evacuation plans for Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine through Romania, Hungary and Poland. The Foreign Secretary also stated that flight options will available from Dubai and Istanbul and the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Madhya Pradesh government said on Friday that 46 students from the state who registered with the Chief Minister's helpline are safe in Ukraine. However, it is not known exactly how many students from the state are stranded in the war-hit country.
The announcement came shortly after President Vladimir Putin authorised a "special military operation" in the conflict-hit Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Flights to Kiev, Dnepr, Lvov and Odessa airports "are restricted due to potential hazard for civil aviation
The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that the situation was quickly deteriorating after Russia's invasion. It appealed to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking a safe haven.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine alone who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses. More than 2,500 students from Tamil Nadu are estimated to be studying in Ukraine.
