3 more AI jets bring back 688 from Ukraine

The Union minister also spoke to the students on their return from Bucharest and assured safety of the people who are yet to be evacuated.

When Aarushi Mamgain, a third-year MBBS student, walked out of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, she felt weak with relief. The wait for this moment had been a long and anxious one.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Scindia said that approximately 13,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine as of now.

Mamgain, a resident of Dehradun, was among the 688 Indian nationals — mostly students — who were brought back on Sunday from the war-torn Ukraine onboard three flights arranged by the Union government as part of Operation Ganga.

While the first flight from Bucharest (Romania) with 250 passengers onboard landed in Delhi around 2.55am and was received by Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and minister of state for external affairs ministry V Muraleedharan, the second, coming from Budapest (Hungary), brought 240 passengers and landed at 9.30am. Another Air India flight from Bucharest with 198 Indian nationals landed in Delhi at 5.35pm.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Scindia said that approximately 13,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine as of now. “You know it is an extremely sensitive situation there (Ukraine). In this situation, we are talking with each Indian national, including students, through telecommunications,” he said. “We will bring them back as soon as possible,” he said.

The Union minister also spoke to the students on their return from Bucharest and assured safety of the people who are yet to be evacuated.

“I know you all have been through a very, very difficult time, a very, very trying time. But know this that the PM is with you at every step, the Indian government is with you at every step, and 130 crore Indians are with you at every step,” he told the returnees.

“PM Sh @narendramodi Ji, along with all the government agencies are working round the clock to ensure every Indian is brought back home quick & safe. #OperationGanga,” Scindia tweeted later in the day.

Mamgaim said her scheduled flight to Delhi was on February 24, but the same day Ukraine closed its airspace for commercial flight operations. “I was on a train to Kyiv airport when I got to know about it. Though our college helped us get back to the premises and even cross the Ukrainian border, it was a situation I have never seen before and I wish that I never get to face it again,” she told HT as she stepped out of the airport.

Relieved at her safe return, she said she was worried for her friends still stuck at the border of the European country.

“When I was there, around 250 of us were awaiting our turn to enter Romania, but now there is a chaos at the Ukrainian border and thousands have gathered, waiting to return to India. I have been receiving calls from their parents and all this is making me anxious,” she said.

Following the Russian military offensive against Ukraine, India has brought back a total of 907 stranded citizens from that country since Saturday, when the first evacuation flight from Bucharest with 219 people on board landed in Mumbai under Operation Ganga.

Only 24 hours ago, most of these students were hiding in their university hostels, even as sounds of airstrikes and gun-firing rattled cities in Ukraine. For parents of some of these students, it was a miracle of sorts to see their children return safely.

“The last few days have been tough on all parents. It was getting tough to sleep, knowing our child is stuck out there and there is a war raging on,” said Brijesh Tyagi, who came from Yamunanagar to pick up his daughter.

Diya Devgun, a first-year MBBS student at the Uzhhorod National Medical University, said while the impact of the war was yet to reach the city in Western Ukraine, the threat of invasion loomed for weeks.

“My father had booked a flight for February 27 a couple of weeks in advance after it seemed like Russia may attack. But the attack happened before we had anticipated and all flights were cancelled. As fate would have it I am safely back in my country on the same date,” she said.

A trio of first-year students from the same university in Uzhhorod — Meraj Ahmed, Mohammad Izhar and Moin Khan — were among the 240 students who were ferried on a bus to neighbouring Budapest, from where the Air India flight AI1940 rescued them.

“There are still over 1,500 Indian students stuck in our university alone. Since only 240 could be accommodated in this flight, we were asked by the university administration to fill our details on an online portal, through which the 240 students were chosen randomly,” said Khan.

Chiming in, Izhar said while they only had to pay the fare of the bus, the flight tickets were booked by the Indian government. “We constantly kept receiving voice or video calls from our family members and this rescue operation came at the right time. It is possible Uzhhorod could be attacked soon,” he said.

A majority of the students rescued in the two flights on Sunday are from medical universities in western Ukraine. However, most of the students who spoke to HT said they knew of more students who are still hiding in bunkers.

“I personally know people stuck in Kharkhiv, who are hiding in bunkers and are short on food too. The situation is gradually becoming worse and we were lucky to be only 30 km away from the Hungarian border and could be rescued swiftly,” said Bansi Pratap Singh, another medical student who had only gone to Ukraine in December last year to start his course.

Harsh Yadav, a medical student at the Bukovinian State Medical University (BSMU) in Chernivtsi, was part of the flight that landed at 9.30am.

“Those stuck in major cities like Kyiv seem to be bearing the brunt of the attacks. While we were getting rescued, we were getting contacted by other students who are also desperately waiting to return,” Yadav said.

Government officials from different states were also present at the Delhi airport, from where students were ferried to their hometowns. Rahul, an official representing the Haryana government, said cabs had been arranged for all Haryana residents, while others could be picked up from the Haryana Bhawan in Delhi.

A similar arrangement has been made at the Karnataka Bhawan. “A list had been prepared of all Karnataka students and they will now be taken to the Karnataka Bhawan, from where their families can bring them home,” said Ravi Kumar, an official from the southern state.

(With agency inputs)