Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Leave Kharkiv by 6 pm today, said Indian embassy in an advisory issued on Wednesday evening. A student from Dindori district Sabuj Vishwas, who was stuck in Kharkiv till Tuesday, told Free Press on Wednesday that they had been receiving similar advisory for past two days.
ìWe were being told by several volunteer groups of India and Ukraine about the soon-to-be escalating war here. We were told by our universities to leave the city by any means. People were scared of leaving due to constant bombings. I saw a Molotov cocktail drop right outside my hiding spot. But I knew I had to take a step to ensure my safety. And I did,î Vishwas said.
ìThe train schedules made no sense to us. We were being asked to run to stations where there would be trains to help us come out of the city. But the trains were getting delayed. People were taking shelter at stations until next one arrived. And there was rush. They gave priority to Ukrainians over Indian students,î Sabuj added.
Sabuj left Kharkiv for Lviv on Tuesday, from where he is being transported to Romania border. Earlier, the state government sent Dindori sub divisional officer of police Ravi Prakash and sub inspector Rahul Tiwari to meet his father SK Vishwas at his residence.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine has issued an urgent advisory asking all its citizens to leave Kharkiv immediately by 6 pm (9.30 pm IST). For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately. ìProceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka railway stations as soon as possible,î the embassy said. A similar advisory was issued on Tuesday for Kyiv, which the Ministry of External Affairs has claimed to be evacuated. Earlier, Indian embassy in Poland had also issued an urgent advisory to Indian nationals in war-torn Ukraine, urging them to travel at the earliest to Budomierz border for a quick entry into Poland.
A similar advisory was issued on March 1 for Indian citizens in Kyiv, asking them to leave the capital city, preferably by "available trains or through any other means available".
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the Indian government has been coordinating efforts to evacuate all Indian nationals in the country via Poland, Romania, Hungary and other neighbouring countries under Operation Ganga.
