Panaji: On Tuesday night, a Goan student who had been stranded in war-torn Ukraine arrived at Goa's Dabolim international airport.
Goa's Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho welcomed Rupal Gosavi, who was studying at the Ternopil National Medical University in Ternopil, Ukraine. Gosavi arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Romania earlier on Tuesday as part of the government's 'Operation Ganga' mission to evacuate stranded students and others from Ukraine.
Vikas Kamble, the deputy resident commissioner of Goa Sadan, greeted her at IGI Airport in New Delhi.
While she was stranded in Ukraine, Gosavi was contacted by the Indian embassy in Kyiv. The embassy officials also enquired about stranded students who hailed from Goa.
"We were contacted by the Indian embassy in Ukraine and assured safe passage. I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The Indian embassy in Kyiv was really helpful," she said.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Several countries, including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union, have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised military aid to Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
The US, Canada and European allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT, which means that they won't be able to communicate securely with banks beyond Russia's borders. President Putin has also signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies.
Fighting in Ukraine has so far pushed more than 500,000 people across the country's borders, according to the UN refugee agency.
Speaking at an emergency session of the UN General Assembly on February 28, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, had said that Russia has no plans to occupy Ukraine.
On February 28, negotiations between delegations of Russia and Ukraine were held in the Gomel Region of Belarus and another round of talks is scheduled for March 2.
