In the aftermath of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, which began last Thursday, Ukraine closed its air space to civilian aircraft, leaving thousands of Indian citizens, primarily students, stranded in the eastern European country. In response to the crisis, the Indian government launched ‘Operation Ganga,’ which aims to repatriate Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine. According to government estimates, 16,000 Indian citizens remain in Ukraine, while media figures say the number could be as high as 18,000-20,000.
PM Shri @narendramodi ji calls a high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis. Union Ministers @HardeepSPuri Ji, @JM_Scindia Ji, @KirenRijiju Ji, and @Gen_VKSingh Ji to travel to neighboring countries of Ukraine to coordinate the evacuation mission and help students. #OperationGanga pic.twitter.com/P6dsa1v6VT
— Poonamben Maadam (@PoonambenMaadam) February 28, 2022
As part of the evacuation efforts which began on Saturday, Indian nationals reached the Ukraine-Romania border and the Ukraine-Hungary border by road with the assistance of Indian government officials. From there, they were taken to Bucharest and Budapest, respectively, in order to be evacuated through Air India flights. Four Air India repatriation flights have so far returned so far. New Delhi has pledged to bear all travel expenses.
#WATCH | India's Permanent Rep to UN, TS Tirumurti, speaks at the UNSC meeting on #RussiaUkraineConflict, says, "we continue to be deeply concerned about the safety & security of the Indian nationals including a large number of Indian students who are still stranded in Ukraine." pic.twitter.com/ZXoWcsv07Z
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2022
The first evacuation flight, AI1944, brought 219 people back from the Romanian capital of Bucharest to Mumbai on Saturday evening. Air India’s second evacuation flight, carrying 250 Indian nationals, landed in New Delhi from Bucharest in the early hours of Sunday. On the same day, a third evacuation flight carrying 240 Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine also arrived in New Delhi from the Hungarian capital of Budapest. In addition, a fourth Air India flight with 198 evacuees on board, has also returned to New Delhi from Bucharest.
Weekend curfew lifted in Kyiv. All students are advised to make their way to the railway station for onward journey to the western parts.
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) February 28, 2022
Ukraine Railways is putting special trains for evacuations.
Indian Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia welcomed the evacuees at the New Delhi airport by handing out roses to them, while Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcomed the first batch of Indian evacuees at the Mumbai Airport on Saturday. “We’ll not stop until all of them are back home,” Goyal told reporters at the airport.
The Indian Government has also made preparations for repatriation on the Poland-Ukraine border. Indian students will now be allowed to enter Poland for the onward journey to India.
Through a Twitter post on Saturday, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine warned Indian nationals in the country to avoid moving to any of the border posts without prior coordination with Indian government officials, as “the situation at various border checkpoints” has been deemed “sensitive,” making it “increasingly difficult to help” those attempting to cross border checkpoints “without prior intimation.”
Reaction of students returning from Ukraine #OperationGanga pic.twitter.com/KxYFmLn4CT
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 27, 2022
Government officials instead advised citizens to utilise helpline numbers to coordinate their evacuation. The embassy also advised that staying in the western cities of Ukraine with access to water, food, accommodation, and basic amenities is comparatively safer than travelling to border checkpoints without being fully updated with the situation.
The Indian government’s efforts come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin hours after Moscow launched a military offensive last week. During the phone call, Modi raised concern about the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine, particularly students, and reiterated that India continues to prioritise their safe return to India. Putin had then assured Modi of his support for conducting evacuations to ensure the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine.