1st batch of Indian students leave Ukraine, to be evacuated from Romania

The first batch of Indian students have left Chernivtsi for the Ukraine-Romania border from where they will be sent back home, news agency ANI reported. 
The camp offices set up by the Ministry of External Affairs are now operational in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western part of war-hit Ukraine. The MEA is deputing Russian-speaking officials to these offices. 

These students will be taken to Romanian capital Bucharest, which is at a distance of 500 kilometres from the Ukranian-Romanian border. It takes anywhere between seven to nine hours to cover the distance by road. 

Air India will send two flights to Bucharest at around 2 am which will be boarded by these students. Romania is one of the transit countries which is being used by the Indian government to evacuate Indians trapped in Ukraine. 

The move comes after external affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. “Times of difficulty-that’s what friends are for,” the minister wrote in one of the tweets.

The government has advised Indian nationals to carry their passports, cash, essential items and double vaccination certificate once they leave the Ukrainian border. The MEA has set up a 24×7 control room to closely monitor the evacuation process. 

The Centre has been engaged on a war-footing level to evacuate stranded Indian nationals in Ukraine, which is defending against Russia. The Indian embassies in Ukraine, Hungary and Poland have been issuing advisories to the citizens, assuring them full support. 

It’s the second day of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The Russian forces have reached the capital, with heavy fighting being reported from Kyiv and other parts of the country. 

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