‘Move students to Russia for evacuation’

On a day when Indian students at the Ukraine-Poland border sent out videos alleging that Ukrainian soldiers are forcing them back from the border of Poland by firing in the air and other third-degree methods like trying to drive vehicles into the crowd, a student contractor there has pointed out the downsides of evacuation plans in place.

A student contractor named Dr Swadhin Mohapatra, Director of Global Focus Education Pvt Ltd, from Kharkiv city in Ukraine, on Sunday asked the Indian Embassy officials to take steps to bring the students to Russia as Kharkiv is located close to Russia when compared to countries on its western borders including Poland, Hungary and Romania.

“Nearly 4,000 Indian nationals and students are in Kharkiv and they will have trouble travelling to the recommended country borders such as Poland, Hungary and Romania which are 1,400, 1,600 and Rs 1,200 kilometres away respectively from Kharkiv. There are still troop movements in the city and we do not have the necessary means to travel to the Romania and Hungary border,” said Swadhin, in an email sent to the Embassy officials.

Swadhin, who has been in Ukraine since 2011, said that 10 years in Ukraine has taught him the easily accessible roads to the nearest land border and when compared to the countries on the west of Ukraine, Belgorod International Airport in Russia is just 100 kilometres away from Kharkiv. “The roads are well connected from Kharkiv to Belgorod and we can reach there within an hour,” said Swadhin.

However, Swadhin said Indian diplomats should talk with Ukrainian diplomats for a safe movement till Belgorod by Ukrainian armed forces and also get permission from the Russian officials for entry of Indian students into Russia without a visa as is done in the case of Poland and other countries bordering Ukraine on the western side.