The breach of ceasefire that was reached for swift facilitation of evacuation of civilians from the port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern town of Volnovakha is indeed a bad omen for the Indian students stranded in various parts of war-torn Ukraine. The Indian students stuck in Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine had on Saturday released a video, wherein they stated their resolve to take the risk of walking to the Russian border.
This led to a tweet from Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, “We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students. Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks. Ministry and our Embassies are in regular touch with the students.”
What concerns us back home is that thousands of Indians, who are stuck in various Ukrainian cities in bunkers and underground metro stations, face the life-threatening conditions like freezing cold, hunger and thirst even if they escape from gunfire. The seriousness of the situation can be best understood from the shocking death of an Indian student who had stepped out of a bunker to fetch some food and exchange currency. And it is apparent now that Russia doesn’t seem to stop anywhere before reaching Kyiv and toppling the Ukrainian Government. Under such circumstances, the chances of evacuating Indian students stranded at about 1,400 kilometre from the borders of neighbouring European countries are tough and they themselves reaching the borders is even more challenging.
As per reports, Russians have started targeting civilian buildings; and an Indian Embassy office has now been set up in Lviv. Not only inside Ukraine but many Indian students are also stranded in the open on the Romanian border. To make it worse, many of them reaching railway stations to board trains to the Polish border from Lviv have reportedly faced disturbing opposition from Ukrainian refugees, who almost forced them out.
The deputation of Indian Ministers at Poland, Romania and Hungary has been quite encouraging and boosted the morale of many and is indeed quite helpful in offering direction and guidance to the evacuation mission. But it is not sufficient to resolve the underground isolation of many Indians who find it difficult to survive without food, money and transportation.
A thermobaric rocket launcher with 24 chambers can actually fire volleys of vacuum bombs; and on detonation, it can create fireballs that will suck oxygen from the hot air, which can cause huge destruction. Under the circumstances as such, the Russian administration has asked all civilians to abandon Kyiv as it plans to hit Kyiv with high-precision weapons.
Owing to the closure of air space for civilian aircrafts in Ukraine, the borders can now be accessed only through trains or taxis. But this isn’t an easy route. Even, many of us have seen videos all over social media and television where it is shown as to how Indians who have reached the Romanian border were not allowed to pass by the Ukrainian troops and how Indian students were being hit with guns and boots.
The commissioning Indian Air Force transport planes may come to some help but to only those who have managed to reach Budapest, Warsaw or Bucharest. India has played it safe and truly in the greater national interest by being neutral at the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, but it should now ensure that both Russia and Ukraine should reach ceasefire until the civilians are evacuated and a safe corridor like the one assured by Russians is carved out, which can save the life of many young Indians pursuing their studies in Ukraine. The dangerous airstrikes, frightening troop movements and lack of water, food and resources make travel to the recognised exits from the trap of hell through Poland, Hungary and Romania an almost-impossible and difficult task to be undertaken by the defenceless Indians.
This makes the Belgorod International Airport, Russia, the easiest exit from Ukraine, which is just about 100 km from Kharkiv. But to be able to use this route, it requires that the Ukrainian armed forces should be convinced to offer safe passage to Indians and the Russian administration has to be convinced to allow Indians to enter without Russian visas. This is nothing new as Poland, Hungary and Romania have already been allowing Indians stranded in Ukraine to enter into the respective countries without visas.
There is no doubt about the Government of India doing its part, but to achieve what we need to, that is hundred-per cent evacuation of Indians stranded in Ukraine, more persuasive and passionate diplomatic intervention is needed
(The writer is an Additional Central Government Standing Counsel, Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack Bench and a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Media Studies, School of Mass Communication, KIIT University. Views are personal)