‘Our Children Are Stuck There,’ Worried Parents of Indian Students in Ukraine

About 20,000 Indian students are stuck in the cities of Ukraine.

Photo: The Quint

About 20,000 Indian students are stuck in the cities of Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia on Thursday, 24 February, after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a "special military operation" in the country. Explosions, missile attacks, and air strikes have been reported from all across Ukraine.

With the airspace closed, the students can't make their way home. And their families back home are worried, scared, and anxious. All they want is their children to be back home safe and sound.

Vaishali Wilson's daughter Srishti is studying MBBS in Ukraine. She tried reaching out to the authorities for help, but no one helped.

"CM and PM helplines aren't giving me satisfactory answers. Flight tickets are very expensive. No one in the helpline service knows anything about Ukraine. Authorities left me to tackle the problem on my own," Vaishali Wilson said.

'Just Want Our Daughter Back Somehow'

So is the case with Garvita Maheshwari's parents, who are scared because their daughter is stuck at her hostel in Vinnytsia and is running out of food and water.

"We just want our daughter back home somehow. The water dispenser has run out of water," Garvita's worried mother said.

Her father, Manoj Maheshwari, said:

"We are very worried. The airspace shutdown is worrying us even more. We don't know how the government will rescue them."

Meanwhile, three mothers from Dehradun are scared as their children are stuck on the road en route to the airport.

"We are very scared. Our children are stuck there."

Desperate, they cry out for help.

"We request the PM to save all the Indian students stuck in Ukraine. Please ensure their safety. Requesting the PM to airlift the students."

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine's Kyiv on Friday, 25 February, issued an advisory to Indian nationals stranded in several regions of the war-struck country that the Government of India and the Embassy of India were working towards establishing evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.

Later the same day, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv tweeted that a total of 470 students are scheduled to exit Ukraine and enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret border.