The students were taken to Poltava, about 175 km south of Sumy, from where they were to board trains to western Ukraine and return to India.
But evacuating the students from the city surrounded by rockets and heavy shelling was no less than a daunting task for the Indian authorities. Here’s how it was managed…
low on food and water, Indian students in sumyo were fighting an uphill battle in the cold weather in the bomb shelters and basements of their dorms.
India’s main concern over the past few days has been to take them out of the city to safer areas so that they can board rescue flights back home.
The challenge before New Delhi was Moscow and Kyiv Working step by step with each other for the evacuation of students.
Glad to share that we have been able to get all Indian students out of Sumi. They are currently on their way to P… https://t.co/xz5db2yaHz.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) 16467443390000
According to official sources, this was made possible by the hectic diplomatic activities of the Prime Minister. Narendra ModiBack-to-Back Conversations with the President Vladimir Putin and their Ukrainian counterparts Volodymyr Zelensky,
Despite a ceasefire and planning, the first attempt to evacuate the students on 7 March failed.
An official told news agency ANI that the safe passage could not be secured for the students due to the shelling and a lot of risk involved.
However, efforts continued to secure the medium of communication and the safe exit of the students.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and again called upon the Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors, Denis Alipov and Igor Polikha, to persuade them to provide a safe passage to the students.
In addition to the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry was also in contact with officials from both Russia and Ukraine to assist with the evacuation efforts. A team of senior government officials was also sent to Ukraine to help with the evacuation, as one source said, Endgame.
Separately, India sought assistance in the evacuation in collaboration with the Red Cross in both Geneva and Ukraine. The Indian Ambassador to Ukraine and his team were also constantly engaged with the local authorities.
daunting challenge
Arrangements were made to evacuate the stranded Indian students on both sides of the Russian border along with Ukraine, reported ANI.
An official said even hiring buses in the war-torn region was a formidable challenge.
“It was not as easy as arranging almost everything and anything – drivers, fuel, buses – was a daunting task. Our estimate was that 10-12 buses would be needed for the evacuation but eventually we were able to get some more. Be successful.
Ukrainian drivers were unwilling to drive to the Russian side. However, eventually local arrangements were made for the buses.
Quoting official sources, ANI reported that India sought an escort from Ukraine and it was granted after some delay.
The Red Cross also helped and a humanitarian path was created for all international students and eventually the students were evacuated. They were asked to maintain radio silence until they crossed the danger zone.
After this the Indian students boarded the buses for Poltava.
(with inputs from ANI)