Russia attack on Ukraine: 15 flights scheduled over next 24 hours to evacuate Indians

New Delhi: The Indian government said on Wednesday evening that 15 flights are scheduled in the next 24 hours to bring back Indians from countries neighbouring Ukraine, which is facing a conflict situation, and that some of these flights are en route their destinations.

Briefing the media here on the government’s evacuation efforts, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Indian Air Force aircraft has joined Operation Ganga.

“As many as 15 flights are scheduled over next 24 hours, some of these are already en route. Indian Air Force aircraft has joined Operation Ganga, with the first C17 flight from Bucharest expected to return today to Delhi,” he said.

Bagchi added that three more IAF aircraft will return today with Indians from Budapest (Hungary), Bucharest (Romania) and Rzeszow (Poland).

Ukraine is facing a conflict situation due to Russia’s military action.

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Ukraine today issued a fresh advisory for its nationals living in Kharkiv and asked them that they “must leave” immediately and reach Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka settlements amid the escalating military operation in Ukraine.

“Urgent advisory to all Indian Nationals in Kharkiv. For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately in light of the deteriorating situation. They should proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible for their safety. Under all circumstances they must reach these settlements by 1800 hrs (Ukrainian time) today,” India in Ukraine said in a statement.

Bagchi also said that during the last 24 hours, six flights have landed in India from countries neighbouring Ukraine.

“During the last 24 hours, six flights have landed in India, taking the total number of flights that have landed in India to 15 and the total number of Indians who have returned on these flights to 3,352,” Bagchi said.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on Tuesday that all the Indian nationals have left Kyiv and nearly 60 per cent of Indians in Ukraine have left the country so far.

He had said that over the next three days, 26 flights have been scheduled to bring out Indian citizens and apart from Bucharest and Budapest, airports in Poland and the Slovak Republic will also be used.

“We will mount as many flights as required,” he had said.

Bagchi said that advisory issued by the Indian embassy for nationals to leave Kharkiv by 6pm local time was given on the “basis of information from Russia.” He added that they should take any method to leave, including “on foot”.

“We have issued this advisory based on inputs from Russian side. We haven’t chosen the time. We haven’t chosen the location,” MEA spokesperson said

Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 million. It has been found that Russian troops have landed in Kharkiv and are engaged in heavy fighting with Ukrainian forces.

Videos are circulating online of an apparent attack on the regional police and intelligence headquarters in Kharkiv.

“Practically there are no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit,” Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said in a statement posted on Telegram.

However, Russia says it is only targeting Ukraine’s military infrastructure, air defence and air forces with high-precision weapons.

It was in Kharkiv where an Indian student was killed on Tuesday morning in shelling. Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, a 21-year-old medical student from Karnataka, was standing in the queue for food in Kharkiv on Tuesday morning when he was killed in a shelling.