Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Wednesday, 2 March that 17,000 Indians had left Ukraine since the government issued its first advisory, and that 15 flights were scheduled to take off in the next 24 hours to evacuate those still remaining.
He also added that in the last 24 hours, "Six flights have landed in India, taking the total number of flights that have landed in India to 15 and the total number of Indians who have returned on these flights to 3,352."
'IAF Has Joined Operation Ganga': MEA
Bagchi also said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had joined the central government-led Operation Ganga and would be a vital part of the efforts to bring the remaining stranded Indians back to the country.
The first C-17 aircraft deployed by the IAF as part of the operation will return from Bucharest to New Delhi tonight, he said, adding that three more IAF flights would be deployed on Wednesday to bring Indians back from Budapest, Bucharest and Rzeszow in Hungary, Romania and Poland respectively.
Eastern Ukraine an Area of Concern
Bagchi expressed concern about Eastern Ukraine, which has seen unabated violence since Thursday last week, but added that it was an encouraging sign that "some students were able to board trains out of Kharkiv last night and today morning."
He also added that the government was in constant touch with Russian authorities to facilitate safe passage for Indians, especially from Kharkiv and other high-risk cities.
"We would urge all our nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately to safe zones or further westwards using any means available - including on foot," the spokesperson said.
For those Indians who had lost their passports, Bagchi said a special mechanism was being put in place through which "emergency certificates" would be issued to facilitate their departure.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)