Ghaziabad: Students evacuated from Ukraine reach home with pets

A three-year-old cat was among a handful of pet animals who experienced air travel on a C-17 Globemaster, which was deployed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the evacuation of Indian citizens and students from war-torn Ukraine

A three-year-old cat was among a handful of pet animals who experienced air travel on a C-17 Globemaster, which was deployed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the evacuation of Indian citizens and students from war-torn Ukraine.

A number of students who deboarded the flights at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad were seen with their pets. (HT Photo)

The cat, called Mars, landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad on Thursday night and its proud owner, Amir, who is pursuing medicine in the east European country, said that his pet animal was forced to travel a lot in Ukraine and Romania in the last few days.

“It was her first air travel and she has a pet passport from both Ukraine and Romania. She has travelled a lot since the war broke out in Ukraine and is three-year-old. I was in Kyiv and took a lot of risks to reach Romania from where we boarded the plane to India,” Amir said.

The IAF officials said that seven C-17 flights have landed so far at the Hindon airbase as part of the evacuation drive.

“Four more C-17 flights are expected to arrive soon and some of them had pets onboard,” said an IAF spokesperson.

A number of students who deboarded the flights at the Hindon airbase were seen with their cats and dogs, while some were even carrying portable pet-shelters.

Haidar, who is also a medical student, was seen holding and patting his pet dog, three-year-old Luna, as he deboarded from a C-17.

“I am feeling very happy to bring my pet to India. Some of my luggage got left behind, but I never wanted to take a chance with my dog. Luna has been there with me for three months. Pets also have a life and I did whatever I could to keep her safe,” Haidar added.

“I did not want to leave her alone and took my pet dog (a seven-month-old husky) with us. We got a lot of support at the Poland border and since my pet Neela was accompanying me, I did not face much hassles in the queues,” said Zahid, another medical student who returned from the war-ravaged country.

Meanwhile, IAF officials said that C-17 Globemasters have ensured that more people are being evacuated in lesser time and the flights are also carrying aids for the war-affected people in Ukraine.

The C-17s are made in the United States and the IAF has 11 of them in their inventory. The aircraft played a crucial role in evacuating Indians from Afghanistan last year and have also been involved in humanitarian missions in countries such as Nepal, Maldives and Yemen in recent years.

It played a crucial role in transporting soldiers and military equipment to eastern Ladakh during the recent standoff with China and also helped in the delivery of oxygen and equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ghaziabad district administration officials said that they are taking extra care to ensure that all Uttar Pradesh students who land at the Hindon airbase are sent to their respective hometowns at the earliest.

“We will take the students to the UP Bhawan, where we have made arrangements for food and rest. Thereafter, they will be sent to their respective districts by cars, which we have specifically hired for the purpose,” said Vivek Srivastava, additional district magistrate (finance), Ghaziabad, and also a nodal officer looking after evacuated students who hail from UP.

“Many of our students have brought their pets onboard the flights and they are very emotional about the animals. They said that they would never have left their pets behind under any circumstances in war-hit Ukraine. So, the Union government facilitated the airlifting of their pet animals as well,” Srivastava added.