New Delhi: As India stepped up efforts to bring back stranded Indian nationals home, and urged both Russia and Ukraine to provide safe passage for their evacuation, Russia has accused Ukraine of holding Indians hostage.
The Russian Embassy in India said that Ukrainian security forces in Kharkov are using Indian students as human shields and allowing them passage only through the Ukrainian-Polish border, where hostilities are taking place.
Taking to Twitter, the Russain Embassy in India wrote: "According to our information, Ukrainian authorities forcibly keep a large group of Indian students in Kharkov who wish to leave Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod."
However, Ukraine denied the allegations and blamed Russia for taking students from India, Pakistan, China and other countries as hostages. It also urged Moscow to allow a humanitarian corridor to other Ukrainian cities.
"We urgently call on the governments of India, Pakistan, China and other counties whose students have become hostages of the Russian armed aggression in Kharkiv and Sumy, to demand from Moscow that it allows the opening of a humanitarian corridor to other Ukrainian cities," the statement released by the foreign ministry of Ukraine said, as reported by news agency ANI.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA CONFLICT: FULL COVERAGE
Emergency Hotline
Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched an emergency hotline to help evacuation of all stranded foreign students due to the Russian invasion.
"We have established an emergency hotline for African, Asian and other students wishing to leave Ukraine because of Russia's invasion. +380934185684. We are working intensively to ensure their safety and speed up their passage. Russia must stop its aggression which affects us all," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Wednesday.
Amid the ongoing conflict, India has reported two casualties from Ukraine so far. Both were students of medical science.
Until yesterday, the Indian government had brought back 3,352 stranded Indian nationals from Ukraine under 'Operation Ganga'.