New Delhi:After a harrowing experience of being trapped in the middle of a major war, the Indian students in Sumy city of Ukraine have been finally evacuated by the Indian embassy.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Singh Puri on Tuesday confirmed that the evacuation process for Indian students stranded in the war-torn Sumy started and they are being been taken in buses to Poltava. "Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava," Puri told reporters here.
All Indians evacuated from Sumy, on way to Poltava Sources said that a convoy of 12 buses left from Sumy, Ukraine earlier today. "All Indians there have been evacuated. Officials of the Indian Embassy & Red Cross are escorting them. Bangladeshis and Nepalis have also been facilitated. They are currently enroute to Poltava region," they added. Poltava is around 170 kilometres away from Sumy.
MEA Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi also confirmed the development. "Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy. They are currently en route to Poltava, from where they will board trains to western Ukraine. Flights under Operation Ganga are being prepared to bring them home," Bagchi said in a tweet.
Earlier today, the defense ministry of Ukraine shared details of the humanitarian corridor on its official Twitter handle. Those leaving Sumy, the ministry said, must exit through Holubivka, Lokhvytsia, and Lubny cities to reach Poltova. The corridor is open from 10 am to 9 pm Ukraine time. Interestingly, Ukraine highlighted in red that it is the "only valid route" thus rejecting the corridor Russia had opened for Indian students.
On Monday, the students faced a setbackwhen they were asked to go back to their hostels as the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine had failed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy ways to start the stalled evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine's besieged Sumy city pummelled by the invading Russian forces.
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India has brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine so far while Indian students remained stuck in the northeastern city of Sumy with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.
