Express News Service
The first Air India Boeing 787 aircraft carrying 219 Indians from Ukraine after the Russian offensive started landed at Mumbai airport from Romanian capital Bucharest at 7.50 pm on Saturday. Two more evacuation flights — one for Bucharest and one for Hungarian capital Budapest — departed from Delhi.
Amid efforts to evacuate stranded Indians via border transit points of some of Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, chaos and confusion prevailed. The Indian embassy in Kyiv issued another advisory on Saturday asking the Indian nationals not to move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with the MEA or embassy officials.
“The situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the embassy is working continuously with our embassies in neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens. Embassy is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who reach border checkposts without prior intimation,’’ the advisory stated.
It was relatively safer for Indian nationals staying in western cities of Ukraine (which include Lutsk, Rivne, Lviv, Uzhhorod, Cheernivtsi) with access to water, food, accommodation and basic amenities to be stationed there till they coordinate their efforts with officials to reach border posts, it stated.
Those living in eastern parts of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Poltava) were advised to stay put until they receive further instructions. People were advised to stay indoors as much as possible and ve patient.External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar tweeted saying MEA teams were working on the ground round the clock and that he was personally monitoring the whole evacuation exercise.
