'Leave Kharkiv Immediately': India Issues Advisory To Citizens In Ukraine

India Travel Advisory: Proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible, the Indian Embassy tweeted.

Houses destroyed as a result of shelling by the Russian army in Bucha, Kyiv Region (Getty Images)

New Delhi: Amid heavy shelling by Russian forces, all Indian nationals in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, have been asked to leave immediately for their safety.

Kharkiv has been the epicentre of much of the violence seen in Ukraine in recent days.

The embassy asked Indians to proceed to Pisochyn (11 km), Babaye (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km) even by foot if they cannot find vehicles or buses.

"Must leave Kharkiv immediately, proceed to Pisochyn, Bezlyudovka & Babaye as soon as possible. They must reach these settlements by 1800 hrs (Ukrainian time) today," the Indian Embassy tweeted.

In another advisory, the embassy said "for their own safety and security they must leave Kharkiv immediately, repeat immediately, in the light of the deteriorating situation".

"The students who cannot find vehicles or buses and are in railway station can proceed on foot to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km)," the advisory said.

The advisory comes as Russia shelled several key sites in Kyiv and in the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Wednesday.

Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University, was killed in intense shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

 

Earlier in the day, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said that Russian troops had begun to blow up power substations.

"The invaders have begun to blow up the substations that supply us with electricity. Some districts of Kharkiv are already disconnected from electricity, and, accordingly, there are problems with water and heat supply. That is why I can tell you that what happened, and is happening in Kharkiv today is genocide. Not an operation but a war to destroy the people... This is a crime against the whole world," Terekhov said, as per an IANS report.

On Tuesday, a missile struck the government headquarters in Kharkiv, burning cars and nearby buildings. Another strike occurred in one of Kharkiv's residential neighborhoods. Ukrainian President Zelensky later called the attack a "war crime".

At least 17 people were killed in Kharkiv on Tuesday, and dozens wounded, a report in IANS said.

The smaller southern city of Kherson has also fallen to Russian forces, AFP reported.