Situation tense, uncertain: Indian envoy in Ukraine tells stranded nationals
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Feb, 2022 12:47 PM
Kiev/New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The situation is highly tense and very uncertain and this of course is causing a lot of anxiety, said Indian Ambassador to Ukraine on Thursday reaching out to stranded Indian nationals.
Partha Satpathy, Indian Ambassador to Ukraine, said, "I am reaching out to you from Kiev. Today early morning, we all woke up with the news that Ukraine is under attack."
The air space is closed, railway schedules are in a flux and roads are crammed, he said requesting everyone to stay calm and face the situation with fortitude.
The Embassy continues to remain open and operate in Kiev, Satpathy said.
He urged Indian nationals to please stay wherever they are, in their familiar locations. "Those who are in transit, please return to your familiar places of habitation. Those who are stranded here in Kiev, please get in touch with your friends and colleagues in Kiev, universities and other community members, so that you can temporarily lodge there," he said.
The Ambassador said, "We have already reached out to the Indian Diaspora and have requested them to assist to the best of our abilities."
He said that he is inundated with calls, so is the Embassy and they are doing their best to help.
"If there is a critical emergency, contact us on the emergency lines provided. Please follow our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Website) for any updates that we will be putting out," he stated.
As of now, Indian government are seized of the situation and working on a mission mode to find a solution to this difficult situation, he added.
Earlier in the day, the Indian embassy in Ukraine announced that they are making alternative arrangements for evacuation of stranded nationals.
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.
The announcement marks this week's one-year anniversary of a supply chain review that found the U.S. is overly dependent on foreign sources, especially China.
Court documents allege there were also two undocumented Indian nationals in the van, along with snacks and provisions. Not far away, in southern Manitoba, RCMP and border officials discovered four frozen bodies, later identified as a couple and their two children from India, who investigators believe were part of a larger group making their way to the United States.
