India putting into operation contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Ukraine

New Delhi, Feb 24 : In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine clashes, India is putting into operation contingency plans to evacuate its citizens, including thousands of students, from Ukraine. With the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, India is activating alternate evacuation routes, sources said. More than 20,000 Indians, including students, are living and working in Ukraine, including in the border areas. High level meetings in the Ministry of External Affairs are being held on the Ukraine situation. Additional Russian speaking officials have been sent to India’s Embassy in Ukraine and are being deployed in countries neighbouring Ukraine, the sources said. India’s Embassy in Ukraine is functional and its advisories should be followed carefully, they added. Earlier, the sources said that the government is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation, and the focus is on safety and security of Indians, particularly students. The MEA control room is also being expanded and made operational on 24×7 basis, the sources said. Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine on Thursday issued a fresh advisory, urging Indians to maintain calm and avoid travelling to Kyiv, as several explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital. It also asked all Indians to move to areas on the western border of Ukraine and not travel to Kyiv. “The present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodations or in transit. “All those who are travelling to Kyiv, including those travelling from western parts of Kyiv, are advised to return to their respective cities temporarily, especially towards safer places along the western bordering countries. “Further advisories will be issued for any updates,” it said. The developments come as Russia authorised special military operations in Ukraine’s Donbas. India at the UN Security Council called for immediate de-escalation and refraining from any further action that could contribute to a worsening of the situation. India’s Permanent Representative at the UN, TS Tirumurti, addressing an emergency UN Security Council meeting, expressed “deep concern over the developments, which if not handled carefully, may well undermine the peace and security of the region”. He said that more than 20,000 Indian nationals, including students, are located in different parts of Ukraine, including in border areas. “We are facilitating the return of all Indian nationals, including Indian students, as required.” India said the solution lies in sustained diplomatic dialogue between the concerned parties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s military operation in eastern Ukraine is intended to protect civilians. In a televised address, Putin said the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine. He warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”. Putin said Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy Ukraine, and that the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”. He also accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees. Meanwhile, several explosions were heard in Ukraine on Thursday morning. In response, US President Joe Biden on Thursday accused Russia of choosing “a premeditated war” and said the US and its allies “will respond in a united and decisive way” and the “world will hold Russia accountable”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and the country’s border guards, and that explosions had been heard in many cities. He said martial law had been declared across the country and that he had spoken by phone to US President Joe Biden. The Ukrainian military said it downed five Russian planes and a helicopter in the east of the country near a rebel-held enclave. RN