‘Vast majority evacuated’ from war-hit Kharkiv: India on Ukraine ops

A vast majority of Indians have been “successfully” evacuated from the Ukranian city of Khakiv, the government said on Saturday. Kharkiv is one of the worst-hit cities as Kyiv resists a “full-scale invasion” by Russia amid the Ukraine war.

In a tweet, the Indian embassy in Ukraine said: “Deeply engaged to ensure safe evacuation of our citizens from Kharkiv, including Pisochyn. Have already successfully evacuated vast majority from Kharkiv city. Organising buses for evacuation from Pisochyn tomorrow at Government of India cost. (sic)”

Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine that has seen missile strikes on residential buildings after Russia launched an offensive last week. Earlier this week, Russia had captured the port city of Kherson – the first major city to fall amid the crisis. The Kremlin has “blockaded” another port city Mariupol, officials from Ukraine said on the latest delopments amid Moscow’s advances on Saturday.

India stepped up the Ukraine evacuation operations last week as the airspace was closed for civilian flights in the war-hit country. Operation Ganga – a special operation – was launched to bring back the citizens to their homes.

More than 18,000 Indians have left the war-hit Ukraine since the launch of Russia offensive. Foreign minister S Jaishankar on Friday night tweeted about 15 special flights in a day.

The special flights are being arranged from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries – Poland, Romania and Hungary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held yet another high-level meeting on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

The Congress’s Rahul Gandhi among other opposition leaders have been attacking the government over the students stuck in Ukraine. “There is a war in Ukraine. Thousands of students from India study there. Our youths are stuck there amid bombing. These youths are sending videos of appeals to save them.

The Prime Minister’s men say these people (students) went to Ukraine because they did not get admission to medical colleges in India. They (students) failed here and so went there (to Ukraine). Are these not the students from India? Are they not ours? Is it not your (government’s) responsibility to bring them back?” Gandhi said in a speech on Friday.