'If anything happens to us...': Indian students in Sumy start 600 km journey to Mariupol

Bharat Tiwari, one of the students speaking on behalf of the group, said, “Since morning we are hearing bombing and shelling. We are afraid, we have awaited a lot and we cannot wait anymore. We are risking our life; we are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be on the government and Indian Embassy.”

New Delhi: The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has created havoc with thousands of Indian students still stranded in war-torn Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv cities. A group of students from Sumy State University has posted a video on social media appealing to the government and the embassy to rescue them and also stating that if anything happens to them, the Indian government shall be responsible for it.

In the video, Bharat Tiwari, one of the students speaking on behalf of the group, said, “Since morning we are hearing bombing and shelling. We are afraid, we have awaited a lot and we cannot wait anymore. We are risking our life; we are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be on the government and Indian Embassy.”

The students had received information regarding the two recently opened humanitarian corridors, and were starting their journey towards Mariupol, located 600 km away, she says in the video. Earlier today, Russia declared a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridors for civilians.

The Russian government has declared a ceasefire from 07:00 GMT to allow the opening of humanitarian corridors for evacuating civilians. "Today, on March 5, from 10 a.m. Moscow time, the Russian side declared a regime of silence and opened humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave Mariupol & Volnovakha. Humanitarian corridors & exit routes have been coordinated with the Ukrainian side", the Embassy of Russia in India said in a tweet.

This comes after India on Friday urged both Russian as well as the Ukrainian sides for at least 'a local ceasefire' so that it could evacuate Indian students stranded in war-torn Ukraine. India's Embassy in Ukraine, meanwhile, said it was exploring avenues to evacuate the students in a secure manner.

"Exploring all possible mechanisms to evacuate Indian citizens in Sumy, safely & securely. Discussed evacuation & identification of exit routes with all interlocuters including Red Cross. Control room will continue to be active until all our citizens are evacuated. Be Safe Be Strong", the embassy tweeted on Saturday.

The Ministry of External Affairs, on the other hand, has advised the Indian students to take safety precautions and avoid unnecessary risks. "We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students.

Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks", MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. He said that the Ministry and the embassies are in regular touch with the students. On Friday, MEA spox Arindam Bagchi told reporters that the highest attention is on eastern Ukraine, particularly Kharkiv and Pisochin.

"We have managed to get some buses there. 5 buses already operational, more buses later in the evening; 900-1000 Indians stranded in Pisochin & 700+ in Sumy. We are concerned about Sumy", the MEA spokesperson had said.