The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has announced that a humanitarian corridor has been set up in Ukraine for the safe evacuation of Indians who are stranded in the war-stricken country. The Indian Embassy issued an advisory to students, asking them to make use of the corridor and leave immediately, using any mode of transport available.
“The Humanitarian Corridor for evacuation of stranded people has been announced in various parts of Ukraine from 1000 hrs on 8 March 2022. Considering the security situation, establishment of the next humanitarian corridor is uncertain,” the Indian Embassy said in a new advisory. “All stranded Indian nationals are urged to make use of this opportunity and evacuate using trains/vehicles or any other available means of transport giving due consideration to safety,” the embassy added.
Sumy has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops for days now. India has been making efforts to evacuate its citizens from the northeastern Ukrainian city, but with little success due to the heavy shelling and air strikes. A plan to evacuate all the students was abandoned at the last minute on Monday, March 7, after ceasefire violations were reported in the city.
On Tuesday Ukraine announced that safe corridors, intended to let civilians escape the Russian onslaught in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, are to be opened on Tuesday. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted, “A humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians, including foreign students, from Sumy to Poltava has been agreed today. We call on Russia to uphold its ceasefire commitment, to refrain from activities that endanger the lives of people and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
A humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians, including foreign students, from Sumy to Poltava has been agreed today. We call on Russia to uphold its ceasefire commitment, to refrain from activities that endanger the lives of people and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. pic.twitter.com/W6ArLPKtBq
— MFA of Ukraine (@MFA_Ukraine) March 8, 2022
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that both sides have agreed to a ceasefire from 9 am to 9 pm Ukraine time (0700-1900 GMT) for the evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy. Those being evacuated from Sumy include foreign students from India and China, she said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the media that 694 Indian students, who were stranded in Sumy, have left for Poltava in buses. "Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday on ways to start the stalled evacuation process of the Indian students from Sumy, which is being pummelled by the invading Russian forces.
India has so far brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine while Indian students remained stuck in Sumy, with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.