new Delhi: India on Saturday said its main focus is now on evacuating around 700 Indians stranded in Sumy in eastern Ukraine, which has seen shelling and air strikes. Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters that according to our information, almost all the citizens have left Kharkiv and everyone is expected to leave Pisochin in the next few hours.
He said that our embassy is reaching out to 298 Indian students in Pisochin and many of them have been taken to the west area in three buses and hope that all will be evacuated in the next few hours. Bagchi said we are “deeply concerned” about the Indians trapped in the war-torn Ukrainian eastern city of Sumy and called on both Russia and Ukraine to immediately call for a ceasefire so that people can be evacuated from conflict areas.
From Pisochyn & Kharkiv, we should be able to clear out everyone in the next few hours, so far I know no one left in Kharkhiv. Main focus is on Sumy now, challenge remains ongoing violence & lack of transportation; best option would be ceasefire: MEA#UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/EdNf5Zhkcz
— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2022
On evacuating the students from Sumi, Bagchi said, “We are working on various options but our main challenge is the shelling, violence and transportation problems in that area.” “That’s why we’re asking both countries for a local ceasefire and that hasn’t happened yet but we expect it to happen soon,” the spokesman said. Bagchi said on Friday that around 700 Indians were stranded in Sumi.
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Bagchi said, “It is a war situation and our basic need is to have a safe passage so that the students are safe when they leave the campus. Regarding the ‘Operation Ganga’ operation to evacuate Indians from Ukraine, he said so far more than 13,300 people have been brought back in 63 flights.
He said that 13 flights will be operated in the next 24 hours to bring back Indians amid the Ukraine crisis, out of which 7 will fly from Budapest, two from Kositse, two from Risso and two from Bucharest. The spokesperson said that 2900 Indians have been brought back by 15 flights in the last 24 hours. He also informed that 21,000 Indians have left Ukraine since the first advisory was issued. (agency)