The Indian government responded to Russia’s assertions that Indian students are being kept captive in Ukraine on Thursday, stating that it was in constant contact with all nations and had not yet received any such complaint.
“We have not received any reports of any student being held, hostage.” “We have requested assistance from Ukrainian authorities in preparing special trains to transport students from Kharkiv and surrounding areas to the western portion of the nation,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.
This comes only a day after the Kremlin claimed that Indian students in Kharkiv had been “taken prisoner” by Ukrainian security forces who were using them as a “human shield” to “block them from fleeing to Russian territory.”
Indian Embassy is in constant contact with the Indian People
“Our Embassy in Ukraine is in constant contact with Indian people in Ukraine,” Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said in response to media inquiries. Many students fled Kharkiv yesterday as a result of the Ukrainian authorities’ collaboration. “We have not received any reports of any student being held, hostage.”
“We have requested the Ukrainian government’s assistance in preparing special trains to transport students from Kharkiv and nearby places to the western portion of the nation,” he continued.
“We’ve been successfully collaborating with countries in the region, including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova.” In the previous several days, a substantial number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine. We appreciate the Ukrainian government’s assistance in making this happen. “We express our gratitude to Ukraine’s western neighbors for hosting Indian nationals and accommodating them as they awaited planes back home,” the MEA official added.
The Kremlin claimed that Indian students in Kharkiv had been “held captive” by Ukrainian security forces, only hours after its envoy to New Delhi indicated the Russians were working on a “humanitarian corridor” for the safe passage of trapped Indians across the Russia-Ukraine border.
The Russians stated this in their readout of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone call with President Vladimir Putin. The Indian statement, on the other hand, made no mention of this. “The leaders examined the situation in Ukraine, particularly in the city of Kharkiv, where many Indian students are stuck,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. They talked on how to safely evacuate Indian nationals from war zones.”
“All required directives had been granted,” according to the Kremlin statement, “and the Russian military was doing all possible to secure the safe withdrawal of Indian citizens from the fighting zone and their return to their homeland.”
“The Russian side, in particular, is attempting to organize an immediate evacuation of a group of Indian students from Kharkiv via the humanitarian corridor, which is the shortest path to Russia,” the statement stated.
“At the same time, according to the most recent information, these students are being held captive by Ukrainian security forces, who are using them as a human shield and preventing them from departing for Russian territory in any manner imaginable.” In this scenario, the Kyiv authorities bear sole responsibility,” it stated.
“According to our knowledge, Ukrainian authorities forcibly retain a large group of Indian students in Kharkiv who seek to leave Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod,” the Russian military ministry said during a briefing in Moscow.
“In truth, they are being held as hostages and are being offered the opportunity to flee Ukraine over the Ukrainian-Polish border.” They offered to travel across areas where active hostilities are taking place,” the report stated.
“The Russian military forces are prepared to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian citizens.” And, as the Indian side proposed, send them home from Russian territory using its own military transport planes or Indian jets,” the ministry stated.
Indian officials in New Delhi described the scenario as a challenging one in a combat zone where inhabitants have been hunkering down in bunkers and underground shelters, and movement is restricted owing to a curfew-like condition on the streets. Russia’s assertion that Indians are being held captive by Ukraine may be an attempt to remove itself from the war’s repercussions. This comes after it was chastised at the United Nations General Assembly.
Around 4,000 Indians, largely medical students, are said to be trapped in Ukraine’s eastern and north-eastern regions, close to the Russian border. All Indians stranded in Kharkiv have been told to flee the crisis zone “by all means available, including on foot,” according to the Indian embassy in Ukraine.