India’s first priority in the Ukraine war is the safety of all Indian students and other citizens of that country, parts of which are being heavily bombed by Russian troops. So far, a combination of diplomacy and logistics, since the invasion began, the government has brought back more than 15,000 Indian nationals. However, groups of students are still stranded in eastern Ukraine – reports of Sumi, close to the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine, cause deep concern. The town, where 800 Indian students are trapped in pathetic conditions, is under constant shelling by the Russian army. While the “rule of silence” or armistice called by Ukraine and Russia to enable citizens to leave the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha collapsed amid mutual discrimination, it is doubtful that the students trapped in Sumy 600 km to the north may have been. Huh. Took advantage of the suspension. They do not have any transport facility to travel such a long journey. The Russian border, towards which these students decided to walk, is close, but 48 km away and travel is dangerous due to the shelling. On an appeal by the Ministry of External Affairs that it was trying to evacuate them, the students have canceled the trip for the time being. The next challenge is to ensure a humanitarian corridor to rescue those trapped in Sumi and Kharkiv’s Pisochin area, even if a high-level call between Delhi and Moscow is required. Both the phone conversations between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi And President Vladimir Putin focused on the safety of Indian citizens. India should depend on it to do more.
Also, New Delhi was right to dismiss Moscow’s specific claim about Indian students being held hostage by Ukrainians. As a top official told this newspaper, had this been the case, these young men and women would not have been free to post heart-wrenching videos and SOS messages on social media or to be with their family members and friends back home. . None of them have complained of being held captive or being asked to pay for safe passage. Surely, however trapped, these helpless students are hostages to a situation that is not created by them.
At the same time, it must send a message to Moscow that India’s absence in the UN vote on resolutions condemning Russia does not mean sacrificing national interest. And, right now, India’s national interest is that each of its students trapped in Ukraine after the Russian invasion should return home safely and securely. In a relationship spanning decades, Delhi has made enough friends to speak openly in the Kremlin and tell its friends how important the safety of students is to the relationship. The Russian invasion has put the students in danger, so the ball is in Moscow’s court.