India said today that it remains "deeply concerned" about its students in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy and continues to strongly press the Russian and Ukrainian governments "through multiple channels" for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for their evacuation.
"Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks. Ministry and our Embassies are in regular touch with the students," tweeted India's External Affairs Ministry (MEA) Saturday afternoon.
While evacuation of Indian citizens from Kharkiv is wrapping up- another conflict zone in eastern Ukraine – hundreds of Indian students are still stuck in Sumy.
A successful evacuation of a large number of Indian citizens is currently underway in Pisochyn, a western suburb of the city of Kharkiv.
3 buses organised by GoI have reached Pisochyn and will shortly be making their way westwards.
2 more buses will be arriving soon.
Safe travels to all our students.Be Safe Be Strong @opganga @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/oHKLXHx0rg
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 5, 2022
"Reaching out to our 298 students in Pisochyn. Buses are enroute and expected to arrive soon. Please follow all safety instructions and precautions. Be safe, be strong," tweeted the Indian embassy in Ukraine today.
Highly placed sources told India Narrative that evacuation via Russia remains too dangerous. "The area is teeming with rival militias and gangs, making the evacuation through Russia extremely hazardous," said the source.
Consequently, most of the Indian students are being extricated from Romania, Poland and Hungary. Once the students cross the border, they are being supported by pro-India volunteers apart from the diplomatic staff, the source said.
India had yesterday appealed to Russia and Ukraine to have a local ceasefire in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy so that it can evacuate its citizens, mainly students, who have been stuck in the region for a long time now.
Also Read: Will Russia and Ukraine abide by India’s appeal to evacuate Indian students from embattled Sumy?
According to the ministry's estimates on Friday, there are about 700-plus, or even a little higher, number of Indian students still stuck in a conflict situation in Sumy and another 300 people left in Kharkiv.
The Indian authorities had said yesterday that they continue to explore all possible mechanisms to safely and securely evacuate all the Indian citizens in Sumy and are discussing evacuation and identification of exit routes with all interlocutors, including the Red Cross.
Russia destroys Ukraine's military assets, Kiev slams NATO for not closing the skies over Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russia said today that starting 10 AM Moscow time Saturday, humanitarian corridors and exit routes for civilians to leave coastal city of Mariupol and Volnovakha had been opened up in coordination with the Ukrainian side.
Both cities are in south eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and have witnessed intense fighting since Moscow launched a special military operation on February 24.
The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that its armed forces continue to deliver strikes at the military assets of Ukraine.
Moscow said that, over the past day, its strike of high-precision long-range weapons destroyed an ammunition depot on the territory of the military unit of Zhytomyr, where Javelin and NLOW anti-tank missile systems were stored.
In total, the Russian defence forces claimed to have hit 2,037 military assets of Ukraine during the operation so far. Among them are 71 control points and communication centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces; 98 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 61 radar stations.
"Destroyed: 66 aircraft on the ground and 16 aircraft in the air, 708 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 74 multiple rocket launchers, 261 field artillery and mortars, 505 units of special military vehicles, as well as 56 unmanned aerial vehicles," the Russian Defence Ministry said today.
The Ukrainian side too said that it has inflicted heavy casualties among Russian forces, including its aircraft and helicopters.
A Russian helicopter is being downed in Ukraine.
Stunning footage. pic.twitter.com/MKN1VxNNzg— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 5, 2022
However, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, country's Minister of Defence Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov also vented his frustration over NATO staying out of the conflict.
In an address to the "international community" on Saturday afternoon, Reznikov warned of a "nuclear catastrophe", saying that the consequences of NATO refusing to close the skies over Ukraine could be devastating not only for Ukraine but the whole world.
"The question is: is the world ready for a catastrophe six times more powerful than Chernobyl? Are all those who are hesitant now ready to close the skies over Ukraine and sacrifice the lives and health of not only Ukrainians but also their children?" he questioned in his video message.
"This is not about a war somewhere far away in Ukraine. It's about your safety. And about the nuclear danger to the whole world. So, evaluate the situation," Reznikov added.
