25 Feb , 2022 By : monika singh
Russia-Ukraine Crisis Live Updates: Two loud blasts were heard in Kyiv on Friday morning, as per a Reuters report. This sets off the second day of shelling and fighting after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “military operation” in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
About 400 Indian students in Sumy city of Ukraine have taken shelter in a basement after Russian forces took control of it, reported PTI. They have appealed to the government of India to evacuate them. As the crisis in Ukraine deepens with each passing minute, India’s efforts to evacuate its citizens continues. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at a media breifing on Thursday said that Indian officials have been sent to Ukraine’s land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania to provide assistance to Indian nationals. “I want to assure all Indian citizens including students in Ukraine and their family members that we will take all possible steps to bring you back safe and sound,” Shringla said, reported PTI.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke to his counterparts from Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Thursday about the evacuation of stranded Indians from Ukraine. The minister took to Twitter and even thanked Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto who promised full cooperation to facilitate the evacuation of Indians. “Reached out to my friend FM Péter Szijjártó of Hungary on the Ukraine evacuation. He has promised full cooperation to facilitate evacuation from Debrecen. Thank him for his understanding,” Jaishankar posted in a tweet.
Amid the deepening crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the concerns over the safety of the Indian nationals in Ukraine and that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return home, reported PTI. According to the official statement, the prime minister appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue.
“The prime minister has conveyed … that the topmost priority of the government is the safety and security of Indian nationals, including Indian students, and their evacuation from Ukraine,” Shringla said at the breifing, reported Reuters.
The foreign secretary informed there were around 20,000 Indians in Ukraine and, nearly 4,000 have already returned to India. According to a PTI, the Indian embassy in Poland said a camp office is being set up at Krakowiec on the Polish-Ukrainian border that will facilitate transit through Poland to India. A similar office is also being set up in Lviv in Ukraine.
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