India looking at ways to evacuate citizens

New Delhi: India on Thursday was finalising contingency plans to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine after Russia launched a large-scale military attack on its neighbouring country even as the European Union reached out to New Delhi for its contribution to defuse the "grave situation". With around 20,000 Indians stuck in Ukraine, the top brass of the government handling strategic affairs held a series of high-level meetings to put into operation certain contingency plans to assist the Indians.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "military operation" in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, Russia launched multiple attacks on several areas in central and eastern Ukraine that attracted severe condemnation from the US and its allies. As the Ukrainian government declared a state emergency and closed the country's airspace for civilian flights, the Indian embassy in Kyiv issued three separate advisories in the course of the day appealing to the Indians to maintain calm and remain safe wherever they are. The embassy said in view of the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, alternative arrangements are being made for the evacuation of Indian nationals.

However, it did not provide any clarity on evacuation arrangements. Separately, the Indian ambassador to Ukraine, Partha Satpathy, called on Indians to face the current situation with "calm and fortitude" as the situation is "highly tense and very uncertain". The envoy said the Ministry of External Affairs and the embassy are working on a "mission mode" to find a "solution to this difficult situation". In the midst of the Russian offensive, European Union's High Representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussed the "grave situation" and how India could contribute to de-escalating the situation.

"Received a call from EU HRVP @JosepBorrellF. Discussed the grave situation in Ukraine and how India could contribute to de-escalation efforts," Jaishankar tweeted. The 27-nation European Union has been playing a key role to defuse the crisis. In its latest advisory, the Indian embassy said the movement of people is now difficult in Ukraine as it is under martial law and those hearing air sirens and bomb warnings should find nearby bomb shelters. "We are aware that certain places are hearing air sirens/bomb warnings. In case you are faced with such a situation, Google maps have a list of nearby bomb shelters, many of which are located in underground metros," it said.

"While the mission is identifying a possible solution to the situation, please be aware of your surroundings, be safe, do not leave your homes unless necessary and carry your documents with you at all times," it said. The ambassador said the Indian embassy in Kyiv continues to remain open and operate. "I am reaching out to you from Kyiv. Today early morning, we all woke up with the news that Ukraine is under attack. The situation is highly tense and very uncertain and this of course is causing a lot of anxiety," he said.