Ukraine crisis: Indian student killed as Russia intensifies attack

The first Indian to become collateral damage in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, originally from a small village in Karnataka’s Haveri district, was killed in intense shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday.

As the Russian army closed in on Kyiv, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine sent a message to all Indians to get out of the capital immediately, by any means possible. About 400 students who were living near the Indian Embassy were successfully sent to Romania and were on their way home.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday, announced that the Indian Air Force would be deployed for evacuations in addition to commercial aircraft. He also spoke to Naveen’s father, who alleged that the government did nothing to reach out to stranded Indian students in Kharkiv.

After the meeting on the Ukraine crisis, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said all Indian nationals had left Kyiv. He said the government remained very concerned about the situation in Kharkiv, Sumy and other conflict zones in Ukraine. He said 26 flights had been scheduled to bring back Indian citizens over the next three days. Apart from Bucharest and Budapest, airports in Poland and Slovak Republic would be used to operate evacuation flights, he added.

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Naveen, who was studying at a medical college in Ukraine, was killed instantaneously in shelling when he stepped out of his bunker to exchange currency and fetch some food, his uncle Ujjanagouda said, according to news agency PTI. On Tuesday, when he rang up his father, Naveen said there was no food and water in the bunker, Ujjanagouda stated. Efforts were being made to get his body back.

The foreign secretary called ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India's demand for “urgent safe passage” to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones, the spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said. “Similar action is also being undertaken by our ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine.”

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met President Ram Nath Kovind to brief him about the evacuation efforts, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. Later, the PM also met the President. Two more flights landed in Delhi and Mumbai with around 400 Indians. With several MPs receiving anxious calls from families of Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine, Jaishankar has asked MPs to directly contact his office to flag “particular concerns” and share information about such people. “Please be assured that we are taking cognisance of all enquiries and information. All of them will be attended to by Team MEA representatives on the ground,” the Union minister said in a letter sent out to all MPs on Monday. He also shared an e-mail ID and WhatsApp numbers on which the MPs can share details.

But for Naveen, it was too late. “With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning,” the government tweeted. There is still no clarity about the exact number of Indian students stranded in Kharkiv, as food and water shortages in the embattled city mount, heating of buildings drops, and petrol runs out.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) via its teams on the ground reported about the grim situation in eastern Ukraine. “Residents across Ukraine are desperately trying to get in touch with their relatives, but internet connectivity is very bad. People are seeking safety in shelters, often for hours on end. In Kyiv, most citizens are torn between staying or heading west. Most streets have been deserted though we see long lines at pharmacies and bank machines,” said a team member.