Ukraine-Russia Crisis | IAF To Join Operation Ganga For Fast Evacuation Of Indian Nationals: Report

The information comes when the Indian Embassy in Ukraine has issued a new advisory for the Indians in the country to leave Kyiv urgently today.

Indian nationals, evacuated from crisis-hit Ukraine, being welcomed by relatives upon their arrival at the airport in Mumbai, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Amidst the intensifying crisis in Ukraine, the Indian government has decided to amplify its efforts to bring back its Nationals still stuck in the east European nation.

On Tuesday, India decided to rope in the Indian Air Force (IAF) which is expected to speed up the evacuation process, news agency ANI reported.

In order to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts from Ukraine under Operation Ganga, PM Narendra Modi has called for the Indian Air Force to join the evacuation efforts: Sources

— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2022

Sources told news agency ANI that to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts from Ukraine under Operation Ganga, PM Narendra Modi has "called for the Indian Air Force to join the evacuation efforts.”

IAF will also help India in delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine which is running short on food, fuel, and medical aid.

“This will ensure that more people can be evacuated in a shorter time frame. It will also help deliver humanitarian aid more efficiently. Indian Air Force is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft as part of Operation Ganga from today,” ANI reported.

The information comes when the Indian Embassy in Ukraine has issued a new advisory for the Indians in the country to leave Kyiv urgently today. They also advised that the preferable means to travel is by train, but they should leave in any way possible.

The official handle of the embassy tweeted, “Advisory to Indians in Kyiv. All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available.”

So far, 1,396 students have been evacuated from Ukraine under Operation Ganga. Yet, around 8,000 students are estimated to be stuck in the country. 

Meanwhile, the Indian government has also decided to send four Ministers to neighbouring countries of Ukraine to oversee the smooth evacuation of Indian nationals.