55 of 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv port also brought to safety
The Government on Tuesday said it has evacuated all the Indian citizens stranded in Sumy in eastern Ukraine and transported them by buses to Poltava.
Announcing this here on Tuesday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said here, “Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they all have left in buses for Poltava,” he said.
India has, so far, brought out more than 18,000 citizens from Ukraine in nearly 80 special flights.
Meanwhile, Indian Embassy in Kyiv said the mission intervened to evacuate 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port. “Y’day buses evacuated 57 sailors, including two Lebanese and three Syrians. Route constraints precluded evacuation of balance 23 sailors. Mission’s attempting their evacuation today,” it said in a tweet message.
Sumy along with Kharkiv are the two cities in eastern Ukraine that witnessed heavy fighting since the Russian military offensive started on February 24.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had urged Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to keep dialogue process on to end crisis and ensure the safety of the students from Sumy. He had talked to the two leaders and called holding direct talks at the highest level to stop the conflict.
Stepping up efforts to bring out Indians from Ukraine, New Delhi also raised the issue at a session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday on the humanitarian crisis there.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN TS Tirumurti said “India is deeply concerned” that despite its repeated urgings to both Russia and Ukraine, the safe corridor for Indian students stranded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy did not materialize.
“India has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities,” he said. Tirumurti said India has reiterated its urgent demand for the safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians, including Indian nationals remaining in Ukraine.
“We are deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings to both sides, the safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialise,” Tirumurti said.
Tirumurti said India has managed to facilitate the safe return of over 20,000 Indians from Ukraine. “We have also assisted nationals from other countries, who approached us, in their return to their respective countries. And we will remain open to doing so in the coming days,” he said.
The Indian envoy told the Council that more than 80 evacuation flights have been crisscrossing the skies to bring the Indian nationals home. “We are appreciative of the assistance rendered by the authorities of Ukraine and its neighbouring countries in facilitating their return.”
Tirumurti underscored it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance - humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. “These should not be politicized,” he said.
Tirumurti told the Council that in his conversations with the leadership of both sides, Modi reiterated “our call for an immediate ceasefire and the need for both parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.”
Tirumurti said numerous lives have been lost so far due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, including a young Indian student.
“India mourns his death and we convey our deepest condolences to his family, just as we mourn the loss of each and every civilian life in the conflict.”
In the first Indian casualty in the war in Ukraine, 21-year-old fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar from Karnataka was killed in shelling in Kharkiv.
Tirumurti said the worsening situation in Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis “deserves our immediate and urgent attention”.
“This has led to a pressing humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed expeditiously,” he added.
A medical student at the Sumy University, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed that buses have arrived and students have started boarding the buses, reported PTI. “We have been told that we will go to Poltava. I am praying that we reach a safe zone and this misery is over,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
Sumy, located near the Russian border and around 350 km east of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, has seen heavy fighting since the invasion. The Indian students were waiting for evacuation for days.
On Saturday, unable to cope any longer with the bitter cold, depleting food and water supplies, the students shared videos saying they have decided to begin the risky journey to the Russian border 50 km away.
But they were dissuaded by the Government, which contacted them and asked that they “avoid unnecessary risks”.
Russia on Tuesday declared a cease-fire to conduct a “humanitarian operation” starting at 12:30 pm India time. The Russian embassy in India released a list of “humanitarian corridors” that it is ready to provide. It includes corridors from Sumy city in northeast Ukraine.
“In order to conduct a humanitarian operation from 12.30 IST on March 8, 2022, Russia declares a cease-fire and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors,” the Russian embassy in India tweeted.
Russia has announced humanitarian corridors from Sumy by two routes to Poltava and to “the territory of the Russian Federation to Belgorod - then by air, rail and road transport to selected destinations or temporary accommodation, in the southern direction - in agreement with the Ukrainian side”.
In its announcement, Russia again blamed Ukraine for the failure of the corridors and said the situation is rapidly deteriorating and “has acquired the character of a humanitarian catastrophe”.
“Due to the failure and inability of the Ukrainian side to ensure the functioning of humanitarian corridors, the situation in a large number of settlements on almost the entire territory of Ukraine, primarily in such cities as Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, is rapidly deteriorating and has acquired the character of a humanitarian catastrophe,” the Russian embassy in India said on its Facebook page.