New Delhi: A man from Kerala and his pregnant wife were stranded in Kyiv amid Russia's sudden military offensive in Ukraine. As the situation deteriorated, he was moved to safety with the assistance of Indian embassy personnel under "Operation Ganga".
As Ukraine has shut its airspace due to the conflict with Russia, India is evacuating its nationals by moving them via land routes to the east European country’s neighbours -- Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia -- and then flying them out from there under "Operation Ganga".
Abhijit, who is from Kerala, arrived safely in Rzeszow, Poland, and was put up in a shelter room arranged by the Indian Embassy in Poland, news agency ANI reported.
Interacting with the agency from the Poland-Ukraine border, Abhijit expressed his joy at having escaped the war-ravaged country.
"My wife is hospitalized in Poland. She is nine months pregnant. The latest report from the hospital stated that my wife and baby are healthy and doing well in the hospital. The expected time of arrival of my baby is March 26 of this month and I have decided to name my upcoming baby as Ganga after the name of the rescue operation that India launched," Abhijeet was quoted by ANI in its report.
Abhijeet said that he was travelling to India while his wife was being treated at a hospital in Poland. Abhijit managed a restaurant in Kyiv and was caught up in the conflict before being rescued from Ukraine.
"I am running a small restaurant in Ukraine (Kyiv). I was trapped in Kyiv and with the help of officials, who are working under Operation Ganga, I was rescued and taken to Poland safely. I thank them and the Government of India," Abhijit said.
"I have not spent a single dime from Ukraine (Kyiv) to Poland (Rzeszow)," he says, expressing gratitude for the Indian government's efforts.
Operation Ganga
Operation Ganga was initiated by India to rescue Indians from war-torn Ukraine. Later, the Indian Air Force stepped in to help with the rescue efforts, raising the intensity of the exercise.
Operation Ganga is a government-led effort to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate Indian people from Ukraine in the middle of Russia's current military operation in the country.
(With ANI Inputs)