An Air India plane carrying 242 Indians returned safely to New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport late Tuesday evening as India started evacuation of its citizens living in Ukraine and its adjoining areas.
- 01/02
Indian nationals come out from the IGI Airport on their arrival by an Air India flight from Ukraine amid rising Russia-Ukraine tensions.
(Photo: PTI)
- 02/02
Indian nationals take selfie upon their arrival at the IGI Airport by an Air India flight from Ukraine amid rising Russia-Ukraine tension, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Feb 23.
(Photo: PTI)
Due to a sharp escalation in tensions between Russia and Ukraine, India had on Tuesday, 22 February, dispatched a special Air India flight to evacuate stranded citizens from the country.
To carry out this special operation, India had deployed a Dreamliner B-787 aircraft, which reached Delhi from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv around 12 am on Wednesday.
The Indian Embassy in Kyiv had announced on Tuesday morning that four additional flights from Kyiv to New Delhi were to operate on 25, 27 February, and 6 March.
The embassy also announced that currently, Air Arabia, Fly Dubai, and Qatar Airways among other airlines were also operating routine flights from Ukraine to India.
MEA Advises Indian Nationals to Leave Ukraine
More than 20,000 Indian nationals live in Ukraine. A large proportion of these are students studying in universities across the country.
On Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its advice to Indian students and non-essential workers currently in Ukraine to leave the country temporarily.
The advisory said, “In view of the continued high levels of tensions and uncertainties with respect to the situation in Ukraine, all Indian nationals whose stay is not deemed essential and all Indian students, are advised to leave Ukraine temporarily. Available commercial flights, and charter flights may be availed for travel, for orderly and timely departure.”
On 18 February, Air India had announced that it would send three Vande Bharat Mission flights on three days this month – 22, 24 and 26 February. The flights would travel to and from Boryspil International Airport, which is Ukraine's largest airport.
Earlier the same week, the Embassy of India in Ukraine had urged Indians in Ukraine not to panic over reports of people not getting flight tickets, assuring them that more flights were being arranged.
Ukraine, US React to Putin's Decision to Escalate
Meanwhile, Russian President signed mutual aid agreements with pro-Russian rebel leaders in the Ukraine, before announcing his decision in an hour-long televised speech to recognise the sovereign independence of two rebel-held regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, in Eastern Ukraine.
He also ordered Russian troops to assume "the function of peacekeeping" in the two regions.
The move was slammed by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, in a late-night address, said that Ukraine now needs "clear and effective actions of support" from its Western allies.
The self-declared people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk host Russia-backed rebels who have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
"We are committed to the peaceful and diplomatic path, we will follow it and only it...But we are on our own land, we are not afraid of anything and anybody, we owe nothing to no one, and we will give nothing to no one," Zelenskyy added.
The United States was swift in responding to Putin's decision, with US President Joe Biden signing an executive order applying financial sanctions on the two breakaway regions.
The executive order states that the sanctions have been applied for "blocking property on certain persons and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to continued Russian efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".
(With inputs from ANI.)
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