On Thursday last week, Shivam and his friends had to rush to a dingy bunker in the building where he was staying in Ternopil, as they heard of a bomb blast, followed by a siren. They had to stay inside the bunker for around 6-7 hours.
Shivam, who gave only one name, is among an estimated 12,000 Indian students who were still stuck in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and elsewhere in the country, several days after Russia launched a wide-ranging offensive against the neighbour. Most of the Indians in Ukraine are medical students, as the cost of studies in the Eastern European country is cheaper than that at private medical colleges back home.
With limited options to travel out of the country amid the war and curfews, and reports of hostilities faced by some Indians on the Ukrainian border, the students are pinning their hopes on the Indian government’s efforts to rescue them. Many of them are also running low on cash, as money transfer services are closed and ATMs are locked to withdraw money even for basic requirements like buying food.
Some of these students spoke on ET’s ‘The Morning Brief Podcast’.
Pawan, 21, said the embassy and his college had advised him and other students to book tickets for February 24. “But the flight got cancelled. So, I’m struggling here,” he said. “I don’t have much money left … In Indian rupees, I’m left with around ₹5,000 in my account.”
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