Kyiv: After the attack on Ukraine, Russian forces are continuously advancing. Many Indian citizens are trapped in this tense environment, the Modi government is constantly making every effort to bring them back to India. About 100 Indian students stranded in the port city of Odessa in Ukraine reached Moldova on Sunday by bus. Odessa is an important port located on the Black Sea, which was attacked by Russia on 24 February.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that a team from the Ministry of External Affairs will reach Ukraine on Monday to assist the students. A student named Saqib told News18 that students with temporary residence permits, who are called ‘posvidka’ in Ukraine. Everyone has permission to reach Moldova from Odessa. This student said that all MBBS students were offered this permit by default and can use it to cross Moldova even in peaceful times.
Saqib said that all the students were given food, water, and accommodation by the UN authorities. This student told that all these students were living in a shelter near the Moldova-Ukraine border. This student said that “some people helped us and the Moldovan government arranged accommodation and food with the help of the United Nations and the European Union.”
The Moldova-Romania border is 200 km away from this place and these students are now trying to contact the Indian authorities for their onward journey through special flights.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted after speaking to the Moldovan Foreign Minister and wrote that “Called the Foreign Minister of Moldova and asked for help to facilitate the entry of our citizens at the Ukraine-Moldova border. Appreciate their quick response on this. Representatives of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs will reach there tomorrow.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s tweet
On the other hand, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that India has safely evacuated about 2,000 of its citizens from Ukraine since the start of the military conflict and efforts are on to evacuate the civilians trapped on the borders of Ukraine and its neighboring country.
