PM Modi dials Putin, discusses evacuation of Indians from Kharkiv

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russia's President Vladimir Putin. They discussed the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from the conflict areas. As per a statement released by the MEA read, "The two leaders reviewed the situation in Ukraine, especially in the city of Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck. Russian Defense Ministry in a briefing said Russia was trying to evacuate Indian students from Kharkiv. It went on to accuse Ukriane of taking Indian students hostage. The ministry's official representative, Major General Igor Konashenkov, in a statement said: "According to our data, in Kharkiv, the Ukrainian authorities are forcibly detaining a large group of Indian students who want to leave the Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod. In fact, they are being held hostage and offered to leave the territory of Ukraine through the Ukrainian-Polish border. They offer to go through the territory where active hostilities are being conducted." He added, "The Armed Forces are ready to take all necessary measures for the safe evacuation of Indian citizens. And send them home from the territory of Russia with their military transport planes or Indian planes, as the Indian side proposed to do." Earlier,PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday night as India steps up its efforts to evacuate the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine. IAF also joined in evacuation of Indians from neigbouring countries. 

The IAF joined #OperationGanga today morning when it dispatched a heavy lift C-17 transport aircraft to Romania to bring back our citizens. pic.twitter.com/4xzH6i8tI4

— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) March 2, 2022

Over a thousand students had been stranded at the Kharkiv station amid heavy shelling of the city since morning. They said they were not being allowed to board the trains and those who managed, were forced to get off.