200 students stranded in Kyiv plead Indian Embassy for help

BHOPAL: Around 200 Indian students are stuck in

Kyiv

amid the Russia-Ukraine war, desperately trying to figure out how to get themselves back home. These students are from

Ternopil

university. They were asked to leave the city amid escalating tensions, but now they do not know where to go.

Talking to TOI, a student from Haryana,

Karan Kumar

said that they have been living in hell since February 24. “I and other friends are students of Ternopil university. We had reached Kyiv by train. While we were on the way to the airport, we heard a heavy explosion. We ran away from there and after spending a few hours we managed to reach the Indian Embassy,” said Karan.

“When we asked as to where to go they told us to go to a bomb shelter which was in a pathetic condition. We cleaned it and stayed there for a day. Later, we were asked to stay in a government school that was near the embassy. Since then, we have been living here,” he added.

However now, the students are asked to evacuate the school building as well. “We are being told that the building is not bombproof and we have to evacuate it. Embassy people told us that we have to leave the city by train, but how to move out in the open when bombs are coming over your head from all directions? Few of us tried it but they had to come back after they were put on gunpoint by the army,” said Karan.

Citing the situation at the border, Karan said, “We have got to know from friends that the condition is even poor at the border. We are left with no money or any other stuff. How to move out in such a situation,” said Karan.

He alleged that the embassy has stopped connecting with them. “The embassy is also closed today and we are in this government school. Please help us. Our families are worried in India,” said Karan. There are around 75 girls among the 200 students who took shelter in the government school.

Karan claimed that around 50 students had left the school building in the morning to reach the border. “We have no contact with them. We are afraid as they must have gone missing as the situation outside is the worst,” he said.

“It has become tough for every student to survive as we are living in the middle of the war,” said Karan.

Few students said that they still hope that the embassy will help them in getting out of the situation. "We have great hopes from the embassy. Please help us," said a student, Prateek from Uttar Pradesh.