Indian students taken hostage by Ukraine; ready to provide planes following evacuation

The Russian readout following PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin talks has claimed that Indian students have been "taken hostage by Ukrainian security forces" who are using them " as human shields" & preventing them "from leaving for Russian territory"

The Russian side is "trying to organise urgent evacuation of group of Indian students from Kharkiv through humanitarian corridor along the shortest route to Russia", said Kremlin on Modi-Putin talks.

Russian Defense Ministry sources said, “According to our information, Ukrainian authorities forcibly keep a large group of Indian students in Kharkiv who wish to leave Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod.”

“In fact, they are being held as hostages and offered to leave the territory of Ukraine via Ukrainian-Polish border. They offered to go through the territory where active hostilities are taking place.”

Russian armed forces are ready to take all necessary measures for the safe evacuation of the Indian citizens. And send them home from the Russian territory with its own military transport planes or Indian planes, as the Indian side proposed to do, Russian MoD informed.