Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the ongoing Ukraine crisis on Monday, his second such meet in 24 hours. 

Government sources have said that four union ministers, namely Jyotiraditya Scindia, General VK Singh, Kiren Rijiju, and Hardeep Singh Puri would be travelling to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to coordinate evacuation efforts for Indians stuck there, according to news agencies.

Also read: Russia-Ukraine crisis: United Nations to hold two meetings today

Modi had chaired a meeting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Sunday too and had asserted that ensuring the safety of Indian students and evacuating them is the government’s top priority, reported PTI.

It was also decided at the meeting to further enhance cooperation with the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to expedite the evacuation of Indian students, sources had said.

India is trying to evacuate its nationals through Ukraine’s land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia after the Ukrainian government closed the country’s airspace following the Russian military offensive. The fifth flight carrying Indian nationals from Ukraine landed at the Delhi airport on Monday. It is believed that nearly 16,000 students are stranded in Ukraine – many forced to hide in bunkers.

Also Read: Kyiv reports 352 Ukraine civilians, 3,500 Russian troops killed in war: 7 major updates

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has advised Indians against moving to any of the border checkpoints without prior coordination with government officials at border posts.

On Saturday, in an advisory to Indian nationals, the embassy stressed that the situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and it is working continuously with Embassies in the neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens.

Also Read: World’s largest plane destroyed in Ukraine during Russian invasion

“All Indian Citizens in Ukraine are advised not to move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with Government of India officials at the border posts and the Emergency numbers of Embassy of India, Kyiv,” the advisory read.

The Indian government has set up a dedicated Twitter handle to assist in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine under Operation Ganga. The account lists helpline numbers in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic – all nations which share borders with Ukraine.