Indian students stuck in Ukraine's Sumy appeal to Centre for help

Holding tricolour, scores of Indian students gathered at open space in Sumy State University to make their “last” appeal on the tenth day of the Ukraine war – we are moving to the Russian border 600 km away and if something happens, the Indian government and embassy are responsible.

However, the students did not finally embark on the journey after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi’s request not to take any “unnecessary risks” and that the Indian government had “strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students”.

For the past ten days, they have been waiting to be evacuated but authorities were not able to due to intensified war in Sumy, the eastern city of Ukraine that is close to the Russian border.

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Soon after Russia on Saturday announced that they would cease-fire and allow humanitarian corridors in two cities, the students gathered at the University and shot a video, which was shared with the media.

One of the students who spoke on behalf of the gathering said that they have heard about the Russians announcing humanitarian corridors in two cities, including Mariopul that is 600 km from Sumy.

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“Since morning we are constantly listening to bombardments, shellings, shooting, street fights. We are afraid. We have waited for a long time. We cannot wait for more. We are risking our lives. We are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be on the government and the embassy. If anything happens to us, or to anyone, it will be the biggest failure,” the girl student said.

Another girl student said, “just pray for us” while a boy student was heard saying, “we need our government right now”.

One of the students told DH that the hostel caretaker also advised them not to step out without proper direction from the authorities. Asked how they would travel to Maripoul, she said they don’t have buses to travel and maybe, they will have to walk.

Indian students at Kharkiv and Sumy, which are in eastern Ukraine, have faced difficulties in getting out of the war-hit country. While a number of students from Kharkiv managed to reach the western border with Poland and returned to India, students at Sumy are yet to get a chance to get out.

There is a shortage of food and water and some students on Friday shared a video of them collecting ice and using it for water after heating it.