Editorial: Students & safety


The Russia-Ukraine conflict has intensified and back home, families and friends of Indian nationals – especially students – stuck in Ukraine began to panic and desperately seek help.

Several State governments also appealed to the Centre to help their citizens who are stranded in the war-torn nation. In Ukraine, Indians were also obviously an anxious lot.

Trying to calm them and their loved ones, India’s Ambassador said in Kiev that the Indian government will evacuate all Indian nationals from Ukraine.

A day after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, Partha Satpathy, the Indian Ambassador to Ukraine, also urged the students taking refuge in temporary shelters to be realistic about the situation and convey to friends and families that everything would just be fine.

With Russia announcing a military operation in Ukraine, thousands of Indian students enrolled in Ukrainian higher education institutions, mostly studying medicine, are in a state of panic and pleading with authorities to ensure their safe return to India.

‘The government of India is completely seized with the matter. Every Indian will go back home. Planes are being lined up. Personnel is being lined up, but it’s a warzone. We will have to work out the logistics and find the modalities to reach the West, Satpathy said while speaking to students.

In an advisory, the embassy said Indian teams are being deputed at the Chop-Zahony check post on the Hungarian border as well as at Porubne-Stret on the Romanian border around Chernivtsi in Uzhhorod.

“In this difficult situation, the embassy of India requests Indians to continue to remain strong, safe and alert. The embassy is also working round the clock to support the Indian community in Ukraine, it said. The government of India and the embassy are working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.