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.
The Foreign Secretary stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to his Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovakian counterparts for setting up a camp at border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals. He also stated that flight options are available through Dubai and Istanbul and that the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.
Amidst the prevailing tension, the Indian students stranded in Ukraine are left with no choice but to queue up outside the Indian Embassy in Kiev seeking the authorities' help as they ran out of food and money. The Russian military actions in Ukraine have triggered panic among all sections, including students from India.
Clashes have also been taking place around the capital Kiev in the north and the Black Sea port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south, the report said. Air strikes from Russia have been carried out on Ukrainian military bases and airports, with fierce fighting reported around a key airport near Kiev.
The top of the Tower shone bright with a burnt orange top Tuesday, February 22, 2022 to celebrate student Jaskaran Singh’s victory in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship" shared the university's website.
Students at the Ternopil Medical University in Ukraine capital Kyiv are in constant touch with the Indian Embassy. The varsity is also extending assistance to the students. There are around 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine. Most of them are medical students.
