New Delhi: Several students from India who are studying in Ukraine are stranded as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in the east European country on Thursday.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses.
In the wake of the conflict, around 242 Indian students returned to India and reached the Indira Gandhi International airport late on Tuesday night.
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ABP News spoke to some students, who said they were happy to be back in their home country. The students said they followed the advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Kyiv.
"On Sunday night, we received the news about the emergency situation in Ukraine after which we returned home. We are happy to be back home," a student who returned from Kyiv told ABP News at Delhi airport.
An MBBS student said, "The situation where I was staying is fine because this place is far from the border. But our embassy asked us to go, I came back after the advisory was issued."
The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Thursday asked Indian nationals and students to maintain calm and said alternative evacuation arrangements were being made due to closure of Ukranian airspace for civilian aircraft.
"The present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodation or in transit," the Indian embassy said in a fresh advisory.
"All those who are travelling to Kyiv, including those travelling from western parts of Kyiv, are advised to return to their respective cities temporarily, especially towards safer places along the western bordering countries," it said in an advisory.
The control room set by the Ministry of External Affairs a few days ago is being expanded and made operational on a 24x7 basis.
News agency AP spoke to some Indian students in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Wednesday who said there was a certain level of panic stemming from uncertainty.
Shania Mariyamath, a medical student, said her parents back in India were "very much panicked".
"We have planned to stay here," she said, "unless our agent or contractor asks us to leave".
Another student, Jahanvi Yaduvanshi, said her parents were panicking too and she has booked tickets to go back home.
Kharkiv is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border.