In the UN Security Council, Moscow has said that Russian buses are ready to enter Kharkiv and Sumy to evacuate stranded Indian students and other foreign nationals.
Hundreds of Indian students are waiting outside Kharkiv, also in Pisochyn. During an emergency session on Friday, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, informed that Russia is making efforts to evacuate stranded foreign nationals in the warzone safely.
He said Russian Buses are waiting at crossing points Nekoteevka and Sudja, in the Belgorod region of Russia, for evacuating stranded foreign nationals. He added that temporary accommodation and mobile medical stations are available at checkpoints. Russia will take evacuated people to Belgorod and fly them to their homeland.
He blamed Ukrainian nationals for keeping some foreign nationals by force, not evacuating them. However, India’s Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, denied receiving reports on hostage situations involving Indian students.
He said India had requested Ukrainian authorities to arrange a special train to move Indian students from Kharkiv. He added that India is coordinating with neighboring Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova to evacuate Indian nationals safely.
Meanwhile, three more Airforce C-17 aircrafts carrying 600 Indian nationals arrived on Saturday morning. The planes carried 16.5 tonnes of relief material to Ukraine.
Under ‘Operation Ganga,’ Indian Air Force has flown back 2056 citizens into the country, while civilian aircrafts have evacuated 9,364 Indian nationals so far. In addition, two Russian IL-76 Strategic lift planes are waiting to transit Indian students stranded in Kharkiv and Sumy back to the country.