Ukraine: India advises its citizens in Kyiv to head west by train as curfew ends
NEW DELHI: Indian authorities on Monday advised Indian nationals in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to make their way to the safer western region of the country by train following the lifting of curfew
NEW DELHI: Indian authorities on Monday advised Indian nationals in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to make their way to the safer western region of the country by train following the lifting of curfew.
The development came just a day after the Indian embassy in Kyiv had advised Indians not to venture towards railway stations because of intense fighting. The situation in Kharkiv and Sumy in eastern Ukraine too remained tense.
“Weekend curfew lifted in Kyiv. All students are advised to make their way to the railway station for onward journey to the western parts,” the Indian embassy said in a tweet.
“Ukraine Railways is putting special trains for evacuations,” the embassy added.
Indian nationals stranded in Kyiv, many of them students, said in social media posts that they were facing problems in travelling within the city due to lack of taxis and public transport.
On Sunday, the embassy had issued an advisory asking Indians in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and other cities under curfew. They were also advised to restrict their movements until the curfew was lifted and “considerable civilian movement is renewed”.
There were an estimated 15,000 Indians in Ukraine as of last week and around 2,000 had been taken out of the country as of Sunday, mainly through the borders with Hungary and Romania. Though a few hundred Indians made their way out through a crossing on the border with Poland, many more faced a harrowing time and long delays as their movements were restricted by Ukrainian border guards. Numerous social media posts by Indian students stated that they were facing problems and harassment on the border with Poland.
Indian authorities have decided to move people stranded on the Polish border to the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod, which will be used as a staging point for people to take trains from nearby Chop town to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
As of Sunday, there were about 2,000 Indians in the capital Kyiv, and thousands more in the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, and the southern city of Odessa.
Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla called the envoys of Russia and Ukraine on Sunday to convey India’s concerns about the safety and security of its nationals, and to seek support for their evacuation.