Indian Govt mulls more flights to bring students back from Ukraine

The MEA has set up a control room for parents of 20,000 Indian students in Ukraine. The helpline numbers are: 1800118797/+91 11 23012113/+91 11 23014104 Fax: +91 11 23088124 | Email: situationroom@mea.gov.in

Although there has been a partial  pullout of Russian troops out of the border areas with Ukraine,  but tensions still remain high as US President Joe Biden warned Moscow that “we are ready to respond decisively to a Russian attack on Ukraine, which is still very much a possibility”, a report in The Tribune, Chandigarh. Says.

This uncertain situation, has compelled the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to set up a control room especially for the benefit of anxious parents of about 20,000 Indian students in Ukraine.

Inundated by phone calls, the MEA is also exploring the possibility of increasing the number of flights between India and Ukraine to facilitate their return. Discussions are on with the civil aviation authorities and various airlines on how to increase the number of flights, said MEA officials. 

On Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine had advised Indian citizens, especially students, to temporarily leave that country in view of the uncertainties of the current situation. It also asked Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine.

Meanwjile, the MEA has set up a control room for parents of 20,000 Indian students in Ukraine. The helpline numbers are: 1800118797/+91 11 23012113/+91 11 23014104 Fax: +91 11 23088124 | Email: situationroom@mea.gov.in

In a sign that serious tensions persist, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov drew the attention of the world community to the “dangerous concentration” of Ukrainian troops at the engagement line in Donbass and the fact that the probability of “a military operation and an attempt to resolve problems with the use of force is high and real.’’

There were moments of levity also after February 16, the date of Russian invasion forecast by the western media, passed uneventfully. A Russian diplomat asked the western media to release the schedule for Russian military action so that they could plan their vacations around it. Its EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov sarcastically said, “There won’t be an attack this Wednesday. Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday.”

While stating that “an invasion remains distinctly possible”, the US President left the door for talks open by stating that “Ukraine is not threatening Russia. Neither the US nor NATO have missiles in Ukraine. We do not have plans to put them there as well.”

Meanwhile, NATO member countries examined new ways to bolster the defences of nations on the organisation’s eastern flank as Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine fuels one of Europe’s biggest security crises in decades.

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