Indian students return from war-torn Sumy city in Ukraine. (Express Photo) “The sounds of the bombardments and shelling…I will never forget them in a lifetime. They still ring in my ears. When a bomb or missile would drop, the walls and windows of the hostel would shake. Whenever we heard a siren for an upcoming airstrike, we would quickly run off to the bunkers and take shelter,” said Subhash Yadav, 23, a fifth-year medical student of Sumy State University of Ukraine after he landed at Delhi’s IGI Airport Friday morning.
Over 242 students arrived in an Air India flight from Sumy Friday. The students were stranded in the northeast Ukrainian city amid continuous shelling in the war zone.
Many recounted a harrowing two weeks when they struggled to survive, taking shelter in bunkers and hoping for an early evacuation.
Students arrive in India from Sumy. (Express Photo) Dheeraj Kumar, 25, a sixth-year medical student from Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, said they used to wake up to the sounds of bombardments. “Instead of the morning alarm, we heard sounds of heavy shelling and artillery fire. It was a nightmare. We were living in bunkers and just waiting for all of it to get over.”
Mohit Kumar, 20, a third-year student from Panipat, said they felt trapped as the conflict raged in the city. “There was heavy shelling and sirens went off every few hours. We could see the jets from our windows. When the war began, we stocked up on some food hoping that it would stop in a few days. The ATMs were out of cash and cards were blocked. Last week, a power plant in the vicinity of the college was attacked. So, we did not have water supply for two days and electricity was also cut off for a day. We had to melt ice and then boil water to survive. The University and local NGOs later arranged for water tankers and food,” he said.
He added that two students from their university had set off for Kyiv on February 25 but had to return as the conflict intensified.
Those who returned also said that a fear had set in that they may be left stranded as the city was besieged from all sides and evacuation efforts failed to take off amid ceasefire violations.
“In the initial days, we hoped for an early evacuation. We saw people being evacuated from other cities. People were growing weary and panicking. One group from another hostel even decided to walk on foot to the border before the Embassy officials intervened and told them to stay put. Earlier this week, some buses arrived and some students boarded them but plans had to be changed as the ceasefire had been violated. At that time, it felt as if we may get stranded forever,” said Hardeep Sheokand, a fourth-year student from Barwala, Hisar, Haryana.
The students also said that they were relieved to have returned to safety but hoped for the safety of their Ukrainian friends, some of whom have taken up arms.
“On our way back, we saw Russian tanks moving towards Sumy. There is a fear of what will happen to our University, to the local people there. Will they suffer the same destruction that happened in Kharkiv? When we were leaving, the Ukrainian people were crying and asked us to pray for them. It was quite emotional,” said Subhash.
Students said they had been travelling for three days continuously in buses and trains before finally being airlifted from Poland.
“We were told to quickly pack a bag of important documents, a pair of clothes and medicines for evacuation on March 8. In buses, we were taken to Poltava in central Ukraine. It took us 13 hours to reach Poltava and from there, we were hauled into a train for Lviv. When we reached Lviv, we were quickly put on a second train for Poland. The journey was continuous with no stoppage except for some refreshments during the change-over. We are thankful to the government and the Embassy officials who helped us in this arduous journey and rescued us,” said another student, Mohit Kumar.
Anxious parents, who had been waiting at the airport for several hours, welcomed their children with garlands.
Two hours before the flight landed, Harbir Narwal, whose 20-year-old son, Yamandeep is a third-year medical student in Sumy, said, “We have had sleepless nights in the last two weeks. We have been constantly checking the phone for WhatsApp messages and updates from my son. The situation was tense as there was constant shelling. They were melting ice to arrange for water, electricity was also cut off but thankfully now they have been evacuated.”
After his son embraced him at the airport, Narwal said, “I am so relieved. It is like a second birth.”
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