India is pressing both Russia and Ukraine for a local ceasefire to create a safe corridor for students still stuck in Sumy, a city in north eastern Ukraine worst-affected by the on-going war between the two countries, so that they can travel unharmed to the borders for evacuation.

“We are in touch with all concerned regarding possible movement (of students in Sumy). The best option will be a ceasefire. We are strongly pressing both sides to allow local ceasefire to create corridor for students. This has not happened yet,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a press briefing on Saturday.

Challenging aspects

The main challenge in Sumy is the on-going shelling and lack of transportation, Bagchi said, adding that students there should stay safe and follow advisories issued by the Indian government.

Till now, over 13,300 Indians have been flown back to India under `Operation Ganga’ on 63 flights, the spokesperson said. A total of 21,000 Indians have left Ukraine since India first issued its advisory in January 2022 asking people to leave the country, he added.

“We will take a fresh look at who all are still in Ukraine. The Embassy will try to contact them,” Bagchi said.

All Indians left Pisochyn

Almost all Indians have left Kharkiv city, Bagchi said, adding that in nearby Pisochyn, there were around 298 students left who were now being evacuated. He added that buses were being organised by the Indian Embassy to evacuate the remaining Indian students and hopefully the task would be completed within the day.

There are  13 flights scheduled over the next 24 hours. Of these, 1 would be IAF C-17 flight (Budapest). “In terms of departure points, there will be 7 flights from Budapest, 2 each from Kosice, Rzeszow and Bucharest,” Bagchi said.

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