With fighting intensifying in Ukraine, the Indian embassy there on Wednesday asked all its citizens to immediately leave Kharkiv. This city in east is bearing the brunt of the Russian assaults.
Given the gravity of the situation in Kharkiv, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the citizens must leave Kharkiv by any means, including “on foot.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a safe passage for Indians through the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Russian envoy Denis Alipov said here Russia is working on setting the “humanitarian corridor” for Indian citizens.
However, Bagchi did not confirm the likelihood of talks between the two leaders and said the “Prime Minister has been speaking to leaders of several countries. We share with you whenever such talks take place. I would not like to say anything beforehand”.
Russian military offensive, so far, is taking place in east and north-eastern parts of Ukraine close to the Russian border. In fact, Kharkiv is about 40 km from the Russian border.
In an urgent advisory, the India embassy also asked Indians to proceed to settlements in Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.
“For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately, repeat immediately, in the light of the deteriorating situation. They should proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible for their safety,” the embassy said.
“Under all circumstances, they must reach these settlements by 1800 hours (Ukrainian time) today,” it said. The advisory did not specify where these places are but according to Google Maps, they appear to be on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
Highlighting the swiftly deteriorating situation in Kharkiv, the Indian Embassy asked its citizens to set out on foot if needed to reach the designated settlements which are at least over 10 km away from Kharkiv’s railway station.
“We are trying to send a team to the eastern zone to ensure people can get out. We will do this by using all assets, including C-17s. We will bring back every Indian,” Bagchi assured.
Sharing latest updates here, Bagchi also said the advisory was issued on the basis of information received from Russia adding cities in eastern Ukraine remain an area of concern.
The spokesperson said there were encouraging reports that some students were able to board trains out of Kharkiv on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. “We’ve been in communication with the Russian side regarding the safe passage of our nationals from Kharkiv and other cities,” he said.
“There has been a sharp increase in the number of Indians who have left Ukraine. We now estimate that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine borders since our advisories were issued,” Bagchi said. He also said a mechanism for issuing emergency certificates to those who lost their Indian passports was instituted. “I think this will also help many Indian students,” the Spokesperson said.
As fighting rages in Ukraine Russia on Wednesday assured it will ensure safety and security of Indian citizens in conflict zone this assurance came a day after an Indian student was killed in shelling and Russian envoy to New Delhi said Russia will investigate it. + MEA briefing (Rahul)