Actor-philanthropist Sonu Sood, who turned messiah for many during Covid-19 lockdown is proving to be saviour yet again as he has now come to the rescue of Indian students stranded in Ukraine.
Sood is helping Indian students stranded in Kharkiv city of Ukraine to reach the Polish border and return to their homes safely.
The students who touched India on Wednesday expressed their gratitude towards Sonu Sood and the Government of India for bringing them back safely.
Later the actor also took to his social media account to share the news, along with a note and wrote, 'Tough times for our students in Ukraine & probably my toughest assignment till date. Fortunately we managed to help many students cross the border to safe territory. Let's keep trying. They need us. Thank You @eoiromania @IndiaInPoland @meaindia for your prompt help. Jai Hind'.
Several students shared videos of getting help from Sonu Sood's charity organisation. In a video shared by ETimes on Instagram, one student named Harsh thanked Sonu and his team for helping him and others during this difficult time.
Shrishti Singh, a fourth-year student of Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy who belongs to Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, said: “I and my three friends were in Kharkiv when Sonu Sood’s team contacted us. They arranged a bus for us and helped us cross the border. As of now, we are at the Budapest railway station and waiting for further help from the embassy.”
Meanwhile, explaining the evacuation plan to HT, Sonu Sood said local taxis are sent to students’ location, from where they are taken to the railway station in Kharkiv. From there, they travel to a safer location in Lviv city by train, where buses have already been arranged to ferry them to Polish border.
“We are also paying for students’ air travel if they cannot afford it. Dozens of them have already reached their home in India,” said Sonu Sood to Hindustan Times.
On a related note, an Indian medical student Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, had lost his life amid Russian shelling on Kharkiv on March 1.
So far, nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine's border since the first travel advisory was issued by the Indian Embassy in Kyiv.