Indian medical students stuck in Ukraine worried about safe return to country

Kyiv Medical University, which had earlier asked Indian students to stay calm and study, has now stopped responding, cornering them into an edge. 

As per a report published in India TV, Aanchal, a fifth-year medical student of Kyiv Medical University in Ukraine, woke up to loud explosions on Thursday and the news chorused of panic and fear as the Russian army began its attacks on Ukraine. “It was unexpected,” she said and added that they woke up to the news of military bases being attacked in Kyiv, that’s when they realised how serious the situation was. She and her friends were in constant touch with each other, making sure that everybody is fine. 

20K students stuck in Ukraine

There are more than 20,000 students stuck in the war-torn country, not even 10 per cent of them are anywhere close to Hungary’s Budapest. Aanchal said, “Right now, only Budapest’s Indian embassy is communicating with us. They said students who can reach the nearby embassy will be flown out.”  

Aanchal said the embassies are not taking calls. She is, however, sure that the Indian Government will help in evacuating them. Sharing pictures of her friend’s residential building that bore marks of Russian attacks, she said some of her friends and classmates in Kharkiv witnessed the attack on the airport - loud explosions, smoke and burn filled the sky. 

On Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv issued an advisory urging Indians in Ukraine to “maintain calm, and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodations or in transit.” 

Aanchal has her semester exams in two months. She said they immediately approached the university. The embassies had told them not to stay if their stay is not essential. The university had responded, “Do not panic. Stay calm, and study.” Now, the university has stopped responding anymore, cornering the students into an edge. 

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