Indian embassy in Kyiv evacuating Indian nationals via trains on war-footing

The Indian embassy ensured movement of more than thousand students from Kyiv towards Western Ukraine on February 28, including around 400 students housed near Embassy since 24 Feb. Another 1400 students moved westwards from Zaporizhzhia, a city in South East Ukraine

With the alert sounded by the Indian embassy in Kyiv asking the Indian nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital, the embassy officials are present at the railway stations to facilitate the evacuation of Indian students, official sources told the Hindustan Times.

A massive Russian military convoy is seen advancing from Belarus in the north towards Kyiv. This Maxar satellite image taken and released on Monday shows part of a military convoy in southern Ivankiv. (Maxar Technologies)

The Indian embassy ensured movement of more than thousand students from Kyiv towards Western Ukraine on February 28, including around 400 students housed near Embassy since 24 Feb. Another 1400 students moved westwards from Zaporizhzhia, a city in South East Ukraine.

However, due to massive overcrowding at the stations, some students were not able to board. Embassy continues to coordinate efforts in coordination with student coordinators so that all Indian students left in Kyiv can move westwards. The Embassy has issued an advisory today asking all remaining students to urgently leave Kyiv and move westwards via trains or other means.

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Poland managed to arrange buses at the Shehyni border point on the Ukranian side to take the students waiting there to other points such as Krakowiec and Budomierz and facilitate their crossing over into Poland.

Read: PM Modi calls on Indian Air Force C-17s to boost evacuation efforts

Union minister General V.K. Singh is on his way to Poland as PM’s Special Envoy to energize the Centre's efforts in facilitating Indians stranded on the Ukranian side of borders with Poland. The Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mallick is also present near the Polish border points to personally direct the evacuation efforts.

To avoid overcrowding and long waiting times and ease pressure at border points, teams from the ministry of external affairs Embassy are trying to arrange shelter in nearby towns, particularly Uzhhorod near the Hungary border. These arrangements are being coordinated with local authorities, universities, etc.