Around 700 Indian students have been stranded in Sumy, which has been seeing days of severe combat between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
New Delhi: In a video message, a concerned Indian medical student stranded in the beleaguered northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy says, “It has been 10 days (since) we have been waiting here, but there is no ray of hope (as to) when we will be evacuated.”
According to the Sumy State University student, there is no power, no water supply, and shops are refusing to accept cards even if ATMs are out of cash.
“We can’t even buy food or basic necessities,” she explained.
Around 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy, which has been the scene of days of fierce combat between Russian and Ukrainian troops. Due to heavy shelling and airstrikes, India has been attempting to evacuate its residents from the city with limited success.
Aashiq Hussain Sarkar, another Indian student stranded in Sumy, told PTI, “Our willpower is deteriorating. We’re down on our luck… We’re currently waiting for more information.” According to Ajith Gangadharan, a fourth-year medical student, “We were on the verge of leaving on foot. We stayed back because the government encouraged us to stay put and not take any risks. But how long will it last?” Exasperated, Indian students in Sumy recorded a video clip on Saturday stating that they had opted to risk walking to the Russian border in the freezing weather amid the fighting, sparking concerns about their safety in New Delhi’s corridors of power.
The Indian government instructed the students to remain in shelters after the video went viral, promising them that they would be rescued shortly.
Hundreds of Indian students imprisoned in Sumy wait on highways every morning, thirsty and running out of supplies, hoping “this is the day” when they will be rescued from the savagery of the war that has enveloped Ukraine.
However, the wait has grown longer as severe fighting prevents them from crossing the Russian border to safety.
The kids have been sending SOS messages and posting videos on social media throughout the previous few days, appealing for their immediate escape.
According to the Indian embassy in Ukraine, a staff from the mission has been stationed in Poltava to coordinate the safe transit of Indian students in Sumy to western borders via Poltava, and they have been instructed to be prepared to depart at any time.
The conflict in Ukraine has lasted more than ten days with no signs of humanitarian corridors being established to allow foreign nationals to flee to safety.
The Indian government has launched ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Ukraine. Thousands of stranded people, mostly students, have been evacuated from countries bordering Ukraine’s western borders. The evacuation of the eastern sector, on the other hand, remains a struggle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, seeking his “assistance” in the evacuation of Indian students trapped in Sumy.
