'Be Strong': Indian Embassy Assures Of Safe Evacuation After Students In Ukraine's Sumy Share Woes

The eastern part of Ukraine has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops. 

File Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Ukraine on Saturday assured that it is exploring all possible mechanisms to evacuate Indian citizens in the north-eastern city of Sumy in a secure manner. 

The assurance comes as students stranded in Sumy have appealed for help, hoping to be evacuated before they are faced with a situation like in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine took to Twitter and wrote: "Exploring all possible mechanisms to evacuate Indian citizens in Sumy, safely & securely. Discussed evacuation & identification of exit routes with all interlocuters including the Red Cross."

"Control room will continue to be active until all our citizens are evacuated. Be Safe Be Strong," it wrote.

Exploring all possible mechanisms to evacuate 🇮🇳n citizens in Sumy, safely & securely.
Discussed evacuation & identification of exit routes with all interlocuters including Red Cross.
Control room will continue to be active until all our citizens are evacuated.
Be Safe Be Strong

— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 4, 2022

The eastern part of Ukraine has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops. 

“We are stuck here in Sumy. We are waiting for evacuation but we are not getting any update....we are helpless here. Our daily groceries, essentials, food stuff...all supplies are low. Situation is not good outside too. I hope we hear from the government soon,” Sheikh Abrar, a fourth-year student at the Medical Institute of Sumy State University, told news agency PTI.

According to Abrar, over 500 Indian students are stranded in Sumy, which is located close to the Russian border.

Ajith Gangadharan, another fourth-year medical student, said, “We are located so close to the Russia border. All our ways are blocked, the railway tracks are damaged, how are we supposed to get out and be safe?”

“The embassy has sent advisories to students, telling them to use only the western border of Ukraine and reach the neighbouring countries of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova. But since we are so far off and in a different part of the country, we cannot reach there easily and we haven’t got any update from the embassy too about those stranded in Sumy,” said Ujjwal Tandekar, a medical student, as quoted by PTI.

Amid the tense situation, Indian students are scrambling to reach a safe place, several reporting trouble accessing essential supplies such as food, water, and electricity.

An estimated 20,000 Indian nationals, mainly medical students, reside in the conflict-ridden country.