Nearly 20,000 Indians study in Ukraine and over 1,000 are from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
With the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine becoming a real possibility, a sense of worry has gripped several families in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that have their children and others studying or working in the conflict zone, a report in the Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, says.
There are nearly 20,000 Indians studying in Ukraine. Over 1,000 are from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while the bulk of the students are from Kerala and Punjab.
Deccan Chronicle got in touch with some students in Ukraine to have a feel of the situation out there.
MBBS student Korthiwada Ajith from Kharkiv National Medical University, who hails from Hyderabad, said that the Russian border was nearly 35km away from his place.
“Some of our group-mates and juniors have already started packing their bags and returning to their native countries including India and Israel. One of my juniors recently booked a flight to Warangal”.
He said, “The Indian Embassy asked us to fill up forms to collate information in case a sudden evacuation is required,” Ajith said.
“The studies would not be affected even if we have to go home as the classes are currently held online due to the Covid19 spread in Ukraine,” he said.
Student Bheesetty Aditya Srinivas from Visakhapatnam said “The situation is cool at present. But we don’t know what will happen in the next hour. The scenario can worsen overnight. We are awaiting updates. “
TCS software engineer Satish Kumar from Hyderabad, whose son Vishu studied at Lviv City, said, “I sent emails to our embassy at Ukraine to know about the latest about the war and of Indians there.
Indians go over to Ukraine for studies because it is cost-effective compared to other foreign universities. The degrees they get there are recognised both in Europe and India.
Why a Russia-Ukraine war?
Russia and Ukraine were members of the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). After 1991, Ukraine became an independent country. Russia, which retained old capital Moscow, remains a super power. It wants to prevent Ukraine from becoming an ally of the West.
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