We are surviving on biscuits and water: Indians bunkered as troops surround Kyiv

Students in a bunker at a medical college in Kyiv

Priti Khuman Thakur, Faizan Khan and Diwakar Sharma

As the situation in Ukraine worsened, some Indian students in the country's capital city of Kyiv were moved to a bunker in a medical college on Thursday night. Speaking to mid-day over the phone on Friday, one of them said that they have run out of food and money, and are surviving on just biscuits and water. Many of them are sending emails to and calling the Indian Embassy, requesting food and water.

Yashvi Sethia from Wadala, seen here with her mother Arpita, is stuck in Vinnitsiya city in Ukraine

Ritankshi Patel, a Vasai resident who is currently holed up in the bunker, told mid-day, "On Thursday, we reached the airport from where we were taken to a bus stop nearby. We contacted the Indian Embassy which shifted us to a medical college. We have been in the bunker at the college since Thursday night. Whatever food we had is finished now, and we are left with only biscuits and water. We don't even have money. We got in the bunker for safety, but it has become overcrowded, and we are having trouble breathing."

"The Ukrainian forces are continuously warning that rockets could launch at any time. We are very scared. We have been instructed to not move out of our bunkers and that flights are being arranged for us," said Ritankshi. Her father Himmat Patel told mid-day, "Along with my daughter, many other students are stuck in Ukraine. We are in touch with Ritankshi, but because she is in a bunker we are not able to speak much. We are extremely worried and haven't been able to sleep. We are waiting for her to return home safely. We believe that our government will bring our children back safely."

India announces evacuation

But a day after Russia began invading Ukraine, on Friday the Indian government expedited the process to evacuate its citizens stranded in the war-hit country. India has announced evacuation flights for its people stranded there, and the travel cost will be borne by the Central government, said sources. "Safe routes are being identified to evacuate nearly 15,000 Indians including 1,200 students stuck in Ukraine," said a government source.

Students, mostly Indian, stranded in Ukraine

The embassies of India in Budapest, Kyiv, Warsaw and Bratislava have issued an advisory for stranded Indians who desire to be evacuated immediately. As per the advisory, the Indians have been asked to take a print of the Indian national flag and prominently paste it on their vehicles while travelling. Sources in the Indian government told mid-day that the ‘safest routes are being established to evacuate stranded people from Romania and Hungary'.

The Indian nationals have been asked to carry their passports, cash preferably in US dollars for emergency expenses and other essentials, and COVID-19 double vaccination certificates if available.

‘Stay strong, safe and alert'

The embassy of India in Kyiv, in its advisory, said, "In this difficult situation, we request Indians to continue to remain strong, safe and alert. The embassy is also working round the clock to support the Indian community in Ukraine."

Sagar Thakkar and his friends who are stranded in Odessa

A student, Bhagyashree, stuck in Ivano Frankvisk city in Ukraine, said, "We are still in our hostel and our contractors and the embassy are arranging buses for us. We have been told that tomorrow we will head towards the border. We will be guarded by our contractors and embassy officials. The situation is scary and we hope that we reach our country safely. We are also being told to stick a print of the Indian national flag on our vehicles so no one will trouble us."

"There are around 1,500 Indians in Ivano Frankivsk and 480 students will be taken to Romanian border today, this is what we were told. It will take around 12 hours to reach the location and then we will board an Air India flight and the cost will be borne by the Indian government," said Divyanshu Gahlot, president of the Indian community in Ivano Frankivsk.

Some still await help

Talking to mid-day, Utkarsh Singh, who is a fourth year student at Ternopil National Medical University, said, "The embassy of India, Lviv, has made a blunder in their contact number. I have been trying to contact the liaison officer Mira Berezovska, but the number belongs to some other person. How can the number of an ordinary citizen be mentioned as a liaison officer's by the embassy at a time when panic stricken people need immediate help?"

About 470 Indian students left on Friday from Chernivtsi for the Ukraine-Romania border

Singh further added that no arrangement has been made to evacuate them. "More than 1,200 medical students were stranded here. Around 300 students made their own arrangements to escape the war hit country," said Singh, who is a native of Nalanda district in Bihar.

Kshitiz Singh, 19, a first year student from Vinnytsia National Pirogov Medical University, said, "We are stuck in a school next to the embassy with over 300 Indians. The embassy officials told us to stay put and wait for them to form an evacuation plan because moving right now is dangerous in Kyiv. The Indians close to the border are being evacuated first. My friends from different universities are finally leaving by buses. But Kyiv is surrounded so we have to wait it out." He said the Russian troops are hardly 5-km away.

Wadala resident Yashvi Sethia is also in Vinnitsiya city for medical education. Her mother Arpita said, "She has been told to go on her own to any border at Hungary, Poland or Romania and take a flight. The embassy is saying it is very difficult for them to arrange transport. The border is very far and it will take around 10-12 hours and some students are walking towards it due to a traffic jam. Staying there is also risky," said Arpita.

"I and my friends are stuck in Odesa city and we are still waiting for help. The embassy staff has told us to go to the Romanian border but it is around 700 km from here, we cannot go there and other borders are too far," said another student who is stuck, Sagar Thakkar.

How people will be evacuated

There are two flights for Bucharest today and one flight for Budapest for tomorrow is being planned as GOI chartered flights by Air India. "The Indians stuck there will be taken to the borders of other countries from where they will board Air India flight. The first batch of Indian students has left Chernivtsi for the Ukraine-Romania border. MEA Camp Offices are now operational in Kyiv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine. Additional Russian speaking officials are being sent to these Camp Offices," said an Indian government official from Delhi.

About the evacuation

>> The government of India will bear the cost of all the flights
>> Special flights will be operated after transporting Indian nationals to neighbouring countries by land

15,000
No. of Indians in the Ukraine who will be evacuated