Russia-Ukraine War: Trying our best to get 700 Indian students out of Sumy, says MEA

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 5

The Government is hoping for a local ceasefire to extricate about 700 Indian students trapped in the Ukrainian city of Sumy while there is no Indian left in Kharkiv City, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

In the city of Pesochin, evacuation is going on and the Government expects all students to be out of the city.

Reacting to viral videos about students stuck on Sumy planning to walk to a safe zone, Bagchi said their frustration was understandable as they are living in difficult conditions. Water supply has been disrupted and electricity also went off but has returned. But now they have gone back again to the university, he said, while saluting their courage and fortitude. “The university is looking after them. We are monitoring very closely and talking to students,” he added.

“Meanwhile we know what you are going through. We feel your pain. Just bear with us. Our complete attention is on evacuation. We hope a ceasefire happens and we will continue to press for this,” said the spokesperson. With train routes having been bombed, the only option is the road route.

The good thing, he said, is the 700-odd students are concentrated in a couple of locations which makes it easy to reach out to them and, when conditions permit, to evacuate them.

“The main focus is on Sumy. We are exploring multiple options. The main challenge remains ongoing shelling, violence and lack of transportation. We are in touch with all concerned and strongly pressing both sides for a local ceasefire to get a safe corridor for the students,” he said.

“The primary requirement of a safe route is where children are not at risk when they leave,” he added.

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