India has managed to evacuate 1,377 citizens from the currently war-torn Ukraine over the past 24 hours, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed on Tuesday (March 2).
Jaishankar took to Twitter and said: "Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours, including the first flights from Poland. Carried back 1377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine."
#OperationGanga developments.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 2, 2022
Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours. Includes the first flights from Poland.
Carried back 1377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine.
It's under Operation Ganga, founded to evacuate all Indian citizens stuck in Ukraine; India is set to operate over 26 flights in the next three days. With airspace in Ukraine closed, airports in Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Slovak Republic are being put into use to bring stranded Indians back home.
Indian Air Force (IAF) has also sent a C-17 aircraft to Romania as part of the earlier mentioned operation.
#WATCH | Visuals of Indian Air Force's C-17 transport aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance. The aircraft left for Romania at 4 am this morning pic.twitter.com/Rz90ysVUtf
— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2022
Russia Invades Ukraine
On March 1, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla confirmed that no Indian is left in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, which is currently under a lot of fire from Russian forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an offensive on civilian areas in several cities. Russian forces on Tuesday also had asked Kyiv residents to flee their homes as satellite images showcasing a long convoy of Russian troops on the roads heading towards Kyiv. Hundreds of towed artillery, armoured and logistical vehicles and tanks can also be seen in the above-mentioned photograph released by a US-based space technology company.
Indian Students In Ukraine
Approximately 16,000 Indian students are still stranded across Ukraine. Ever since the Russian armed forces launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, stranded students have been seeking help desperately via media and social media, pushing videos of their plight from bunkers, railway stations and border posts. They also stated that they were not allowed to board trains with numerous allegations of manhandling. Approximately 9,000 Indian nationals have left by various special flights.
On February 24, Russia officially launched its invasion of Ukraine after months of uncertainty over the former Soviet Republic's proximity to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Also Read: Ukraine Alleges Russia Used Banned Vacuum Bomb Capable Of Vaporising Human Bodies