TN CM seeks evacuation of Tamil students in Ukraine, taps the doors of External Affairs Ministry

In a letter written to the ministry, Stalin referred to the military advancements by Russia into Ukraine while informing that around 5000 students from Tamil Nadu, mostly in professional courses and other emigrants from Tamil Nadu were stranded in Ukraine.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Thursday wrote to the Union Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar seeking the evacuation of students from the state stranded in Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country.

In a letter written to the Ministry, Stalin referred to the military advancements by Russia into Ukraine while informing that around 5000 students from Tamil Nadu, mostly in professional courses and other emigrants from Tamil Nadu were stranded in Ukraine. The CM said his administration has been receiving "hundreds of distress calls from the family members of the students studying in Ukraine requesting their urgent evacuation".

"However, it has come to our notice that airports in Ukraine are closed. They are in need of our support to be brought back to India safely," he said.

The State government, Stalin said, has opened 24x7 help desks and a State Nodal Officer has also been appointed to facilitate the evacuation of stranded Tamils in Ukraine to coordinate with the Government of India, their families, and district administration.

"Considering the big number of Tamilians in Ukraine, it is requested that a Nodal Officer may be nominated for coordination with the Government of Tamil Nadu".

Stalin urged the Centre to take up the matter with the Ukrainian authorities for evacuating the students out of the war-torn country immediately. He also requested the Centre to arrange Special Mission Flights like Vande Bharath Mission to evacuate the students from various parts of Ukraine.