Trains Started, Head To Kyiv Station, Embassy Tells Indian Students as Ukraine Lifts Weekend Curfew

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine on Monday announced that special trains for evacuations have been arranged for stranded Indian students by the Ukrainian government and requested students to reach Kyiv railway station for onward journey to the western countries.

“Weekend curfew lifted in Kyiv. All students are advised to make their way to the railway station for onward journey to the western parts. Ukraine Railways is putting special trains for evacuations,” the embassy said on Twitter.

The Indian government has also set up a dedicated Twitter handle to assist in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine under Operation Ganga.

It earlier listed the helpline numbers in neighbouring European countries- Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic for safe evacuation of students.

Meanwhile the government sources also said that Union ministers Hardeep Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and VK Singh are likely to travel to the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to coordinate in evacuation mission and help students. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by several ministers.

This was the second meeting the PM has called in two days regarding the Ukraine crisis that discussed ways of evacuating Indians from war-torn Ukraine.

Around 16,000 students are still stuck in Ukraine, hiding in bomb shelters and bunkers, or at the borders amid a war with Russia. Images and videos of them have been filling up social media.

Last week, Russia started military operations against Ukraine after months of tension over the former Soviet republic’s proximity to NATO.

A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia’s attack on the country. India had begun evacuation of its citizens from Romania and Hungary on Saturday. Tata Group-owned Air India has evacuated a total of 1,156 Indian nationals in five evacuation flights till now. Officials said one more evacuation flight is expected to land in Delhi on Monday.

PM Modi has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, with India calling for dialogue to defuse the crisis.

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