30 stranded from Mysuru; Call District Helpline 0821-2423800, 1077

New Delhi: Finally, stranded students from Chernivtsi in Ukraine, who were studying medicine at the Bukovinian State Medical University, have started their journey back to India through the neighbouring country Romania.

India is carrying out evacuation of its nationals stranded in Ukraine and the first batch of Indian students left Chernivtsi in a bus for the Ukraine-Romania border. The Embassy of India in Kyiv announced that the evacuation was being organised with the joint effort of the Indian embassies in Romania and Kyiv.

A Ministry of External Affairs official said those travelling from Ukraine have reached Romania and they will be evacuated from Bucharest. The Indian embassy in Ukraine today advised its citizens not to move to any of the border posts without coordination with its officials.

“The situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the embassy is working continuously with our embassies in our neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens,” the Indian embassy in Ukraine tweeted this morning.

The embassy said that it’s finding it “increasingly difficult” to help Indian nationals who reach border checkpoints without prior intimation. “Staying in western cities of Ukraine with access to water, food, accommodation and basic amenities is relatively safer and advisable compared to reaching border checkpoints without being fully abreast of the situation,” the embassy said.

India has sent Government teams to Ukraine’s borders from Hungary and Poland to evacuate the citizens who are still stuck in the country. The officials are travelling via land, as the Ukrainian airspace has been closed amid an onslaught by the Russian military.

A total of 30 persons from Mysuru district are stranded in the war-torn Ukraine, according to the State Disaster Management Authority. Mysuru District Administration has opened a Helpline (0821-2423800, 1077, 98458-52481) and also appointed a Nodal Officer to supervise the situation.