Category Archives: Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022)

Day of terror for UAE-based students in Ukraine as they flee explosions at Kiev airport

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

INDIA / UAE / UKRAINE :


Indian students anxious as ATMs run out of cash and they run low on funds for food.

Sanabil SP, right, with Haneen Kuniyil, medical students in Ukraine at a bus station where they took shelter after explosions rocked Kiev airport. The students were booked to travel to Abu Dhabi when bombs hit the airport at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Photo: Sanabil SP

Scores of Indian students fleeing Ukraine for their families in the UAE and home country were terrified when bombs went off at Kiev airport on Thursday, forcing them to leave the airport.

They heard Ukrainians shout out warnings: “The Russians are invading ,” as passengers ran out amid loud explosions.

Many students had booked flights home but their plans were shattered when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military assault on Ukraine.

After fleeing Kiev’s Boryspil International Airport, a group of 35 waited for more than 11 hours at a bus shelter trying to find safe accommodation.

“When I heard the blast I was too scared. People were shouting: ‘Russia is invading’. We saw jets flying above. People ran out of the airport,” said Milin Susan Joseph, 23, a fourth-year medical student who had a flight booked to Trivandrum, India.

Dubai resident Mohammed Adil Javad was on one of the last flights to leave Ukraine. The medical student landed in Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning before the attack on Ukraine began. Photo: Mohammed Adil Javad

“Everyone panicked. We just got more and more scared. We didn’t know where to go. We saw six to seven buses outside the airport and we just got in.”

The students took shelter at a nearby bus station with dozens of other travellers.

Many students had travelled the night before for about eight hours by road from Zaporizhzhia State Medical University to Kiev airport.

“We will try to get back to the university. We don’t know how safe it is to travel because people are being told to stay home,” Ms Joseph told The National.

The sight of armoured vehicles and soldiers on the streets has added to their anxiety.

“We can see tanks and military vehicles on the roads. Everyone is scared out of hell,” said Sanabil SP, 23, also a fourth-year student who was booked on a flight to his family’s home in Abu Dhabi.

“We heard two blasts as we were reaching the airport. People began rushing out of the airport. They were saying that the Russians had invaded.”

Another concern is access to money, because ATMs at the bus station ran out of cash. One group managed to reach the Indian embassy but were told they would need to make their own arrangements.

“The situation is real and scary for us. I really want people to know that we need help getting to a safe place,” said Mr Sanabil. “There is no money in the ATMs. You need money even to go to the public washrooms.

“The [Indian] embassy said they don’t have space for 30 students but we need help to find a safe place nearby.”

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India in Ukraine @IndiainUkraine

Third Advisory to all Indian Nationals/Students in Ukraine

. @MEAIndia @PIB_India @PIBHindi @DDNewslive @DDNewsHindi @DDNational @PMOIndia

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By evening, they managed to contact other students living in universities in Kiev and hope to find shelter in dormitories.

Some took the last flight out of Ukraine before the air space was shut down and have reached the UAE.

“I’m safe now but half of me is still there [in Ukraine] because that is where my friends are,” said Mohammed Adil Javad, who landed in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, before the attack began.

“I’m hoping India will start an evacuation of students. They need help.

“There are students stuck between Zaporizhzhia and Kiev. They are in the middle of nowhere – not in the university and not at the airport. They are being told to find bomb shelters and tunnels for safety. We are all tense.”

About 18,000 Indian students are in Ukraine, according to government figures.

The embassy last week asked them to leave the country temporarily until the situation returned to normal.

But students said exorbitant air fares – more than 60,000 rupees ($792) one-way to India – and the absence of a clear message to evacuate meant that thousands remain in Ukraine.

“We would all left much before if we had been told we must leave immediately,” Mr Javad said.

“Also how can thousands of students leave in a few days? There are just not enough flights.”

The embassy said it was making arrangements for accommodation for students and asked them to familiarise themselves with the locations of bomb shelters.

“While the mission is identifying 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,” the mission said.

source: http://www.thenationalnews.com / The National / Home> UAE / by Ramola Talwar Badam / February 24th, 2022

Four students of Dakshina Kannada return from Ukraine

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Dakshina Karnataka, KARNATAKA / UKRAINE :

The students were received by their family members, who were overwhelmed to see their children back home

Four students of Dakshina Kannada returned from war-torn Ukraine on March 7. Anaina Anna, Claton Osmond D’Souza, Ahamed Saad Arshad and Shalvin Preeti Aranha landed at the Mangaluru International Airport on March 7 morning. They had reached New Delhi on March 6. They were received by their family members, who were overwhelmed to see their children back home.

“We were worried till they reached New Delhi. Relieved to see them back,” said Sandhya, mother of Anaina Anna, whose passport is with the travel agent. She thanked the Indian embassy for arranging another passport and also for helping students return safely to their home towns.

The students and family members met Deputy Commissioner K. V. Rajendra in his office in Mangaluru before proceeding to their homes, on March 7, 2022. | Photo Credit: MANJUNATH H.S.

The students and their family members thanked the Dakshina Kannada district administration, more so Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, for being in touch with them all through since February 24 till they reached Mangaluru. “He has acted just like our own brother and took all steps to bring our children back safely,” said Claton D’Souza’s mother.

The students and family members met Dr. Rajendra in his office before proceeding to their homes.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by The Hindu Bureau / Mangaluru – March 07th, 2022

Karnataka student stands for 17 hours in train to reach Poland

Amazing Feats, Education, Karnataka (under research project), NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), , , , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA / UKRAINE :

Amid severe cold, we travelled in a train standing for almost 17 hours to the Poland border and crossed over on foot, said Pavan Kumar from Moodbidri who returned from Ukraine on March 4.

Indian students stranded in Ukraine. (Photo | PTI)

Mangaluru :

Sheikh Mohammad Thaha, a medical student from Mangaluru, is yet to get out of war-hit Ukraine. Thaha had been staying in a shelter just 10 km away from Kharkiv. Thaha said he spent more than a week in a bunker.

“We are near Poltava, which is 130 km away from Kharkiv, right now and the Indian embassy is expected to send buses to transport the remaining students. We could hear heavy shelling in Kharkiv as it is just 10 km away from the place we were staying.”

Meanwhile, Pavan Kumar from Moodbidri returned from Ukraine on Friday. Pavan said , “We did not have enough food and basic facilities. Amid severe cold, we travelled in a train standing for almost 17 hours to the Poland border and crossed over on foot. We had our final examination on May 22, and, since we did not know the severity of the war, we could not move out on time. There are still over 600 students stranded in Ukraine,” he said. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Divya Cutinho / Express News Service / March 06th, 2022

Woman, who rode 1,400 km to rescue son once, in distress again

Amazing Feats, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , ,

TELANGANA / UKRAINE :

Rajia Begum and her son Nizamuddin. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Her son is stuck in Sumy bordering Russia

A school teacher in Nizamabad, who had travelled 1,400 km on a two-wheeler all by herself to bring back her son stranded in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, following the sudden imposition of lockdown in March 2020, is in distress again. 

Razia Begum’s 19-year-old Nizammudin Aman is stuck in Sumy, a city in north-eastern Ukraine, where he is pursuing MBBS first-year studies. He is among the 500-odd Indian students cooped up in hostel rooms or bunkers even as Russia has escalated the military offensive on the war-hit country.  The students stuck there say Sumy, close to the Russia border, has been badly affected. The nearest metro station was blown up, and roadways are damaged too, they say. The distressed mother has written to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, and senior State government officials on Wednesday requesting help in evacuating her son from Ukraine.   

Back in March 2020, Nizam had gone to Nellore to drop off a friend. They were undergoing coaching for NEET-PG. As lockdown was suddenly announced, Ms Razia, who works as a teacher at Salampad Camp village at Bodhan in Nizamabad, set off on a solo journey to rescue her stranded son.

With just a pack of rotis, fruits, and a five-litre fuel can on April 6, 2020, Ms Razia embarked on a long, arduous journey on her two-wheeler. She drove alongside heavy vehicles on highways, even at night, and reached Nellore the next day. After picking up her son, they drove back to their home in Bodhan. Ms Razia lost her husband, also a school teacher, 14 years ago due to kidney failure. In the letter addressed to the government officials, she stated that the medical condition and helplessness made her son opt for the medical profession so that he could serve such patients in future.

Nizam is once again stranded, this time in a far-away country, amid a hostile situation, and Ms Razia cannot stop feeling anxious. “They are not able to get out of there since it is not safe to step out. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rescue my son along with other Indian students stuck there,” she appealed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by K Shiva Shanker / Hyderabad – March 07th, 2022

Indian students stuck in Ukraine’s Sumy melt snow for water

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), World Opinion, , , , ,

Telangana, INDIA /UKRAINE :

An Indian student reunited with her family members after being evacuated from war-torn Ukraine, on March 4 | Photo Credit: –

The students said that there are regular power outages

Indian students stuck in Sumy, Ukraine, are in dire situation. After a bomb exploded in the city on Thursday evening, there is no water supply to them. The students said that they are forced to collect snow, melt and use it for drinking, cooking.

“We stored some water yesterday which was over by Friday morning. So we have collected the snow in buckets, melted it, filtered and consumed it,” said Abdul Rawoof, one among close to 600-800 Indian students in Sumy waiting to be rescued.

Another student Nizammudin Aman said that the water supply is cut off from Thursday night. “Thankfully it’s heavily snowing today. So now we’re collecting snow from outside our hostel and melting it using electric induction and kettles,” said Mr. Nizammudin.

It started snowing from Friday morning. The distressed students who were in need of water found it to be a blessing in the harrowing time. Their primary request is to be evacuated. With no supply of water, their washrooms have become stinky.

The students said that there are regular power outages. Since it started snowing, they need heaters which function when there is power supply. Other basic thing which they are running out of is food. Super markets are closed. Only cash is accepted to buy groceries but ATMs have run out of cash.

“Our contactor is providing one meal a day. We are arranging another meal using bread, nutella, eggs,” said Mr. Rawoof. The students have been urging Indian government to evacuate them at the earliest. They have started uploading videos on social media platforms explaining their situation and requesting for help.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by K Shiva Shankar / Hyderabad, March 04th, 2022

Students leave Kharkiv, but await Government rescue plan

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), World Opinion, ,

INDIA / UKRAINE :

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi receives Indian nationals, who have been safely evacuated from Ukraine, as a part of ‘Operation Ganga’, at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI

1,200 walk 15 km out of city after embassy advisory; 60 bused out after 18 hour wait

Following the government’s “urgent advisory” asking all Indian nationals to leave Kharkiv and reach towns on its outskirts, hundreds of students, who braved bombs to cover a 10-15km of journey on foot, were on Thursday unaware of what they were expected to do next, or if there was a plan to evacuate them. 

“We have been told to wait for embassy officials who may come tonight, but we are not sure if that will happen,” said Mohammed Thaha Sheikh, a student of Kharkiv National Medical University, from an abandoned hotel in Pisochyn, a western suburb of Kharkiv.

On Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv issued an advisory asking all Indian nationals in Kharkiv to leave the city “immediately” and asked them to proceed to Pisochyn, Babaye and Bezlyudovka on the west and south of Kharkiv. Everyone was told to reach these towns by 6 p.m. local time

At the time the advisory was issued, Mr. Sheikh said he was at the Kharkiv train station amidst “intense shelling”. While some girls were allowed to board a train, hundreds of other Indian students were not allowed to do so, he said. “Five trains crossed us but we were not allowed to board them. The ticket collector was allowing only Ukrainian women and children. I have heard there was also violence and some students were thrown off a train,” said Mr. Sheikh.

As the 6 p.m. deadline was approaching, he along with 1,200 others decided to proceed to Pisochyn.  They covered a distance of 12 kms in three hours in relative peace once they hit the highway. But before that there were Ukrainian military men and tanks enroute and they were told to “run fast” and were also provided shelter for “10-15 minutes” by Ukrainian soldiers. Once they reached Pisochyn, they found an abandoned hotel. 

“They were not expecting us there and there were only two-three staff. They assigned us two buildings, but there is no food here,” said Mr. Sheikh.

18 hours later, the students were still waiting to hear from the embassy on the next course of action.

Later in the evening, their student co-ordinator (or agent) started arranging buses and 60 students left in two buses to the western border.

 Russia on Thursday said it was considering providing a humanitarian corridor so that Indian students in cities in eastern Ukraine such as Kharkiv and Sumy could be evacuated through Russian territory. For those who manage to escape the war zones, the journey back to India is a long one.

At a shelter in Bercini in Romania, Tanya Shekhar has been waiting for nearly four days for news from the local Indian embassy on their transportation to the city airport. She is part of a group of 47 students  “We spent 48 hours at the border check-post standing in the open in sub-zero temperatures and managed to cross the border. But there was no embassy official in sight.

We have been at a shelter arranged by the Romanian government since February 28. Though we have been mailing the embassy and calling their helpline to know about our transportation, we only heard back from them today. We have been told there will be a bus today,” said Ms. Shekhar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Jagriti Chandra / New Delhi – March 03rd, 2022

In Sumy, students run out of food, water and hope

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021),

INDIA / Sumy, UKRAINE :

Indian students, evacuated from Ukraine, on their arrival at Kochi International Airport in Kochi on March 5, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI

‘We will soon be left with no option but to start walking to the nearest border ourselves’

Students in Sumy on Saturday said they were running out of hope after several days of promises on their evacuation through a “humanitarian corridor” and that continued bombardment in the city indicated there was no sign yet of a ceasefire for them.

The city also saw a blackout for most part of the day, leaving students without a means to cook.

“There is no water, no food, no electricity for the past two days and the bombings keep getting worse every passing day. Often bombs land a few hundred metres away from us,” said Zara Azan.

Another student, Hitesh Kumar Gujjar, said there were sirens at least thrice on Saturday forcing students to rush to their bunkers.

“Today is the 10th day. Every day we hear that we will be evacuated, but that is yet to happen. We will soon be left with no option but to start walking to the nearest border ourselves. We would prefer to die trying to escape rather than die of hunger and thirst ,” said Dushyant Siraw, who was echoing what a group of students said in a video threatening to walk to the Russian border armed with Indian flags amidst intense fighting in Sumy.

“The latest we have heard is that there will be an effort on Sunday to try and evacuate us. But this is not through official sources. If not tomorrow, we will lose all hope,” said Ms. Azan.

Mr. Gujjar said though there was a water tanker sent for the students, it was not enough.

“We got one litre of water. How can one tanker for 700 Indian students and hundreds from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria be sufficient,” he said, adding that with no electricity, cooking on induction was not possible and students were making do with “biscuits and chips”.

Students say some of their friends are seeing their health deteriorate from exhaustion and scarcity of food.

“Several of my friends and I have fainted more than a few times. There is physical and mental breakdown. Many students are also experiencing asthma attacks, but inhalers and drugs or any medical assistance is just not available,” said Ms Azan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National – Indians in Ukraine / by Jagruti Chandra / New Delhi – March 05th, 2022

In Sumy, Indian students await Government intervention

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , ,

INDIA / UKRAINE :

A view shows thermal power plant destroyed by shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the town of Okhtyrka in the Sumy region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on March 4, 2022. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Their fate hangs in the balance as there is no progress on ‘humanitarian corridor’ for evacuation

The fate of several hundreds of students at Sumy in eastern Ukraine hangs in the balance as there was little progress on a “humanitarian corridor” for evacuation of civilians on Friday, while students who were able to reach Pesochin from Kharkiv after an advisory continued to leave for the western border on privately arranged buses.

“There were air-strikes and bombings on Sumy yesterday, which led to power and water supply being cut-off. We spent the entire night without electricity, and we can’t cook without water. If we don’t get killed by bombs, we will definitely die of starvation and thirst,” says Shivangi Jaiswal, who shared videos of students collecting snow and water from roof channels.

She says that unlike Kharkiv, where there was some movement because of a train station, Sumy is cut off from all sides as roads and rail tracks have been damaged, entrapping students in their hostel bunkers.

“Only a government intervention can help us escape from here. But it seems no decisions are being taken for Sumy,” said Ms. Jaiswal

‘Buses not helpful’

On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine agreed to create humanitarian corridors for evacuation of civilians and there were reports that 130 buses were waiting on the Russian border for Indian students.

But Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a press interaction on Friday that there would be difficulties in evacuating students from an active conflict zone until there was a ceasefire and Russian buses were very far from Kharkiv and Sumy and were not proving to be helpful.

Reacting to these comments from Sumy, Zara Azan said, “the government says they are waiting for us at the borders. I want to ask them, if you can’t brave the shelling to reach us, then how do you expect young college students to make their way to the border without cabs, buses or trains. The least the embassy can do is arrange buses for us.”

“Yesterday we saw several fighter planes drop bombs just metres away from our hostel, and several girls fainted on seeing that. Increasingly, children are falling sick due to cold or complaining of low blood sugar levels or suffering panic attacks. We may even have to carry them while planning our escape as we can’t leave our friends behind,” said Zara.

She asked why did the embassy not forewarn its citizens about escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

“In February, I had to travel from India to Ukraine and I called the Indian embassy to know if it was safe to travel as several other countries had started issuing advisories for their citizens and I was told that I could travel,” says Zara.

‘No info on exit plan’

In Pesochin, where nearly 1,200 students fled to from Kharkiv following a government advisory on Wednesday, students continued to leave for the western border on privately arranged buses for which they have paid from their own pocket. They were earlier expecting that they would be able to make their escape through the border with Russia on buses they believed the embassy would arrange for them.

“There is no information yet from the embassy on an exit plan for us through Russia. Our student coordinator has arranged a few buses and we are slowly leaving on them. Two buses with 60 students left yesterday and nearly six are leaving today. We have been told that all students will be able to leave Pesochin by Saturday,” said Mohamed Thaha Sheikh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> India> National / by Jagriti Chandra / New Delhi – March 04th, 2022

Qatar-based Indian students stuck in bunkers in Ukraine

Amazing Feats, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Doha, QATAR :

Screenshot from a video sent to The Peninsula by one of the students

Doha :

Around 23 Doha-based Indian medical students in Ukraine’s Kharkiv university have been staying in bunkers for the last four nights as fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces has prevented them from fleeing the war-torn country.

The panic-stricken parents of these stranded students shared their anxiety with The Peninsula yesterday while requesting Indian authorities to quickly make arrangements for bringing back their children safely.

“It’s scary. We’re worried about the plight of our children after receiving disturbing text messages from them. 

Even in this difficult situation, they’re consoling us saying Allah will show a way to overcome, says Doha resident Aysha Saibool, mother of Dua Khadeeja, a first-year medical student at the V N Karazin Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv.

She said that her daughter has informed that it will take at least seven hours from Kharkiv to reach the nearest border and since no security is guaranteed it is unsafe to travel. 

The plight of the stranded students in the war zone was raised by her with the Minister of State of India’s External Affairs, V Muraleedharan.

The Minister said that travelling from Kharkiv, which lies in the eastern part of Ukraine, to the south – west borders of Romania, Hungary or Poland is not safe. He advised the students to stay where they are, until they receive further instructions from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine. 

Dua Khadeeja

The Peninsula contacted Dua Khadeeja over telephone in Kharkiv and she said that she and 131 other students were stranded in the Mir hotel bunker in dire condition. They were told not to move out because of security reasons. 

“We are sitting inside the bunker with the hope that we will be evacuated soon. Everyone is terrified. Some experience nose bleeding due to allergies and severe cold,” said Dua. 

“There’s hardly any space to stand. We cannot even go to toilet. This morning we were allowed to go to hostel for a few minutes to freshen up. That was a little bit of comfort from this harrowing experience. Dua said that food is provided at the bunker. 

The parents of Doha-based students have been sharing the latest developments through their whatsapp group. 

Nusrath Shamseer, whose daughter Fathima Sharbeen is also stranded in the hostel bunker in Kharkiv University, said they are worried about the situation. Fathima’s classmates Hiba and Riya are also staying in the hostel bunker since Thursday. 

Fathima Sharbeen

“The easiest way for the students from Kharkiv to be evacuated is via Russia. But it is dangerous to cross the border without adequate security escorts from both Ukraine and Russia,” one parent said quoting his son’s message. 

“The alternative routes are Romanian border in the south-west and Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in the west. These are too far from Karkhiv,” he added. 

India has so far evacuated 709 students from Ukraine with the third  flight carrying 240 students arriving in Delhi from the Hungarian capital Budapest last morning. The flight landed a few hours after Air India’s second evacuation flight from the Romanian capital Bucharest carrying 250 Indian nationals landed at Delhi Airport. 

India’s evacuation operation of its stranded citizens, codenamed as ‘Ganga’, began on Saturday with the first flight bringing back 219 people from Bucharest to Mumbai. 

Disturbing accounts by Indian students stranded in Ukraine are also circulating in social media with some complaining that they were beaten up by Ukrainian forces and were being kept from leaving the country.  

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, there are over 18,000 students from India study in the country. Most of the students are from the southern Indian state of Kerala.

source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com / The Peninsula / Home> Qatar> General / March 01st, 2022

Three girl students from Kodagu return safely from war-torn Ukraine

Amazing Feats, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , ,

Kodagu, KARNATAKA :

Amidst the blitzkrieg from the Russian military, three students from Kodagu managed to leave the conflict zones in Ukraine and safely returned to India much to the relief of their family members who were pleading for their safe evacuation ever since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

Alisha Sayyad Ali, Siniya V.J. and M.P. Nirmala, who managed to reach the borders in available modes of transport from their respective cities, returned on Wednesday in the evacuation flights operated by the Indian government.

The girls’ return was confirmed to The Hindu by the Kodagu district administration, whose officials were in touch with the stranded students since the war broke out. A few of the students from Kodagu and Mysuru are said to have reached Poland and are waiting for their evacuation. All of them are safe.

Siniya, who landed in Bengaluru airport on Wednesday evening, was welcomed by her family members.

Jose, her uncle, said Siniya had to walk about 20 km from her shelter in Kyiv along with other students to the railway station to reach Livv. She was evacuated from Budapest in Hungary to New Delhi.

“Minutes before Siniya was supposed to board a flight to Dubai on February 24 from Kyiv to join her sister for a vacation, Russian forces attacked Ukraine and the flights got cancelled. She had to rush back to her accommodation in available means of transport for her safety. Her 40-kg baggage was stuck in Kyiv airport and she flew to India with only a few pairs of clothes as all her belongings are at the airport,” Mr. Jose said.

Alisha, a student of Ivan Francisco Medical University, has also returned.

M.P. Nirmala, a student of Bogomoleth National Medical University in Kyiv, was stranded at a school after the invasion. Her mother Rajani was praying for her early return, pleading with the authorities for her evacuation. Ms Rajani said, “My daughter landed in Delhi this morning and is on her way to Bengaluru.”

Karthik, brother of Likith, who was stranded in Kharkiv with eight others, said his brother and some of his friends have reached Poland. “It was tough for them to reach the borders but they managed and are now away from the conflict zone Kharkiv which is under siege. They are waiting for their turn to board the next evacuation flights,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – March 02nd, 2022