The Indian embassy in Ukraine has deployed a team in Poltava city in central Ukraine to coordinate evacuation of Indian students stranded in Sumy Oblast. 

“A team from the Embassy of India is stationed in Poltava city to coordinate the safe passage of Indian students stranded in Sumy to western borders via Poltava,” the Indian Embassy in Ukraine stated. 

On Sunday, humanitarian assistance was provided to the stranded foreign students, including Indian, at Sumy in eastern Ukraine.  

The humanitarian assistance was provided by the Red Cross Ukraine in coordination with Indian World Forum.   

The foreign students, including Indian, were provided with water and other essential supplies. 

Also read: Ukraine-Russia war: Humanitarian assistance provided to stranded Indian students in Sumy

“Ihor Shapoval, Red Cross coordinator in Sumy visited the university campus and interacted with students’ coordinators and liaised for their early evacuation subject to a green corridor,” Indian World Forum president Puneet Singh Chandhok said. 

Earlier, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba, while responding to a query on evacuation of Indian students, who are stranded in ‘battle zones’ Kharkiv and Sumy, said that the Indian government should pressurise Russia to stop bombardment to evacuate stranded civilians.   

“The governments of India, China, Nigeria – whose students are locked out in Sumy and Kharkiv – I urge you to ask Moscow to stop fire and allow civilians to leave through Ukrainian territory,” Kuleba said.   

He said that Russia is trying to “earn sympathies” of India, China and Nigeria by “accusing Ukraine of keeping these students as hostages, of violating their rights and of discriminating against them”.