English Article

Evacuation From Ukraine

Indians told to rush from war-hit Kharkiv.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening. This was the second conversation between the two leaders in the past seven days. Mr. Modi spoke to Mr. Putin hours after the Indian Embassy in Ukraine issued an “urgent advisory” for all Indian nationals in the war-torn eastern city of Kharkiv and urged them to leave by early evening. Before that, the newly appointed Ambassador of Russia to India assured that Moscow was considering a humanitarian corridor for foreign nationals stuck in Kharkiv. “The leaders reviewed the situation in Ukraine, especially in the city of Kharkiv, where many Indian students are stuck. They discussed the safe evacuation of the Indian nationals from the conflict areas,” a government release stated.

Operation Ganga

The advisory from the embassy in Kyiv asked citizens to proceed to the nearby destinations of Pisochyn, Babay and Bezliudivka “as soon as possible”. The tone of the advisory, which asked Indians to reach the destinations “under all circumstances”, indicates the level of the current military situation in Kharkiv city and its suburbs. India has been conducting ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate its nationals stuck in Ukraine ever since the Russian campaign began on February 24. But the most challenging part of the evacuation lies in the eastern part of Ukraine in cities such as Sumy and Kharkiv where a large number of Indians are stranded.