Stranded Gujarati students in Ukraine waiting to be airlifted

Nearly 2,500 students from Gujarat stranded in Ukraine amid Russia's military operation have been told by the local Indian embassy to reach Poland and Romanian borders from where they can be rescued.

However, unable to find logistics and resources during these wartime emergencies, the students have been forced to take refuge in bunkers in cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and many other places in the western regions of Ukraine.

Soon after the war began the students rushed back to their colleges and hostels amidst piercing sirens and thundering blasts.

Harsh Darji from Radhanpur, who is a last-year medical student studying and living in Odessa, said, "Yesterday late evening, we heard three to four eardrum-shattering blasts in the city. Here the local authorities have imposed curfew after 6pm and people are not allowed to go out. The Romanian border is an 11 hour ride away from Odessa. It is impossible for students to travel so far. It will be easier to travel to Moldova which is only a two-hour journey."

Darji said that the Indian embassy is shrugging off its responsibility to safely bring them to the border.

Another Gujarati student, Shefali Sarvaiya, a first-year medical student of Kharkiv National University. who reached on February 7 to Kharkiv with dreams of a brilliant career after completion of her studies there, is terrified beyond consolation. "Russian border is just 35km from Kharkiv. The hostel authorities have shifted all the students to bomb bunkers where they are providing us with food and provisions. However, hearing bullet fires and missile blasts is terrifying.

Dilip Patel, a farmer from Surendranagar whose son Ronak, also a first-year medical student of Bukovinian State Medical University said, "My son along with others travelled to Kyiv where they were supposed to be airlifted. However, the flights were suspended and they had to travel back to Bukovina. He told us that the roads are badly damaged in the Russian airstrikes."

Patel said that he was informed that two groups of Indian students from Bukovina have reached the Romanian border and will be airlifted from there.

"Nearly 2,500 students from Gujarat are in Ukraine at present. CM Bhupendra Patel is in constant touch with external affairs minister S Jaishankar and the prime minister's office to ensure safe return of Gujarati students and other citizens from the state," the state education minister Jitu Vaghani said.

He said that state chief secretary Pankaj Kumar has spoken to the foreign secretary on Thursday and the state government has also opened a control room to provide guidance and information about the latest situation in Ukraine. "Family members of Gujarati students can dial 079-23251900 to seek any information or help," the minister said.