Leave Kharkiv immediately, says Indian Embassy in Ukraine to students

In an important and urgent advisory, the India embassy in Ukraine on Wednesday asked all Indians stranded in Kharkiv to leave the conflict zone immediately.

The embassy asked Indians to proceed to settlements in Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.

"For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately. Proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible," the embassy said.

"Under all circumstances, they must reach these settlements by 1800 hours (Ukrainian time) today," it said.

The advisory, which did not specify whether these places are in Ukraine or in other countries, came amid raging fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv.

Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University, was killed in intense shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.