Kyiv (Ukraine): Indian students, studying in various parts of Ukraine, woke up to air raid sirens and smoke when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country had decided to carry out a military operation in the Eastern part of Ukraine to defend separatists in the Donbas region.
Cities across Ukraine are reporting sounds of air raid sirens, clouds of black smoke, explosions and chaos and the Indian students are witness to it.
Free Press Journal spoke to a few Indian students in Ukraine who were planning to leave the country sooner or later, but their plans are in jeopardy as the Ukrainian government has shut down the country's airspace.
“I saw fighter planes flying over my hostel,” said an Indian student in Dnipro, who was planning to leave the country on February 26 but is unsure of the circumstances.
“I saw a cloud of smoke above the city and have no idea what is going on,” said another student in the city.
Some others witnessed much scarier visuals.
“A black smoke, which looked like the aftermath of an explosion, was visible outside my hostel in Ivano-Frankvsk,” the student said, who is now approaching the Embassy for further queries rather than relying on his university.
One student heard air sirens ringing out across Kyiv near the Golden-Domed Monastery in Ukraine which made her realise the seriousness of the situation. Multiple students also reported bunkers being prepared for the students in hostels to take shelter in case of a war or any form of violence.
“The present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodations or in transit,” the Indian embassy in Kyiv tweeted on Thursday.
