‘Stay inside shelters’: India tells students stranded in Ukraine’s Sumy

In a statement released on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India said that it has “strongly pressed” the Russian and Ukrainian governments for an urgent armistice in order to create “a safe corridor for students.” The MEA further added that Indian embassies are in complete touch with students who have been reaching out via videos of emotional pleas. 

“Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks,” Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs wrote on Twitter.

“We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students,” Bagchi added. 

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The statement comes days after several Indian students stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy shared a video expressing their decision to move to a Russian border 50 kilometers away, on their own. In what they claimed to be their “last video”, the group stated that the Indian government and its embassy would be responsible in case they fall victim to the attacks. 

The video displayed a large crowd of Indian students from Ukraine’s Sumy State University. The group was seen holding Indian flags and backpacks. 

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“Since morning, we have been constantly listening to boarding, shelling and streetfights. We are afraid, we have waited a lot and we can’t wait anymore. We are risking our lives and moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be of the government and the Indian embassy. If anything happens to anyone, Mission Ganga will be the biggest failure,” one of the students said in the video.

“Please pray for us. This is our last video,” another student added.

After being contacted by the Indian embassy, the students retracted their decision.