‘Leave Kharkiv immediately’: India’s ‘urgent’ advisory for stranded nationals in Ukraine

The Indian Embassy has asked nationals in Kharkiv to reach Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.

(A view shows the damaged regional administration building in Kharkiv: Reuters)

New Delhi: In an urgent advisory issued on Wednesday (March 2), the Indian embassy in Ukraine has asked its nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately due to the worsening situation in the Ukrainian city. 

In a new advisory, the Indian embassy tweeted, “For their own safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately, proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.” “They must reach these settlements by 1800 hrs (Ukrainian time) today,” the embassy added. 

URGENT ADVISORY TO INDIAN STUDENTS IN KHARKIV.@MEAIndia @PIB_India @DDNational @DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/2dykst5LDB — India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 2, 2022

India's advisory comes as Russia persists in its attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The Russian forces on Wednesday fired a cruise missile into the city council building in Kharkiv, the deputy governor of the region Roman Semenukha said, as per Reuters.

Kharkiv has been witnessing intense shelling over the past two days, with 21 people killed on Tuesday, the news agency reported. An Indian national was among those killed in shelling in Kharkiv a day before. Russia will probe the death of the 21-year-old Indian medical student in Kharkiv, Russian Ambassador-designate to India Denis Alipov said on Wednesday.

Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, hailing from Chalageri in the Haveri district of Karnataka, was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University, who died in intense shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, under Operation Ganga, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said today that out of the 20,000 Indians who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine, 6,000 have been brought back to the country so far. 

"There were around 20,000 students/citizens who were stranded in Ukraine. Of them, 4,000 were brought back to India before February 24. Additional 2,000 students were brought back to India till Tuesday and efforts are on to evacuate the remaining Indians stuck there," he said.

(With agency inputs)