Govt says it has not received any intel on Indian students being held hostage in Ukraine

Picture of rubble left in the city centre of Kharkiv in Ukraine, after shelling by Russia (Source: AFP)

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has not got any reports of hostage situation involving Indian students in Ukraine where a full-scale military assault by Russia is on.

"We have requested the support of Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking out Indian students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country," the MEA said on March 3.

The Russian Ministry of Defence had on March 2 said that Ukrainian forces were holding Indian students hostage in Kharkiv and other cities. It had stated that students were being used as body shields and held in strategic areas to slow down the advance of Russian forces. This claim has also been made by Russia at the United Nations, while Ukraine has called it a 'blatant lie'.

"According to our information, Ukrainian authorities are forcibly keeping a large group of Indian students in Kharkiv who wish to leave Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod," a Russian military spokesperson said at a briefing on March 2.

Catch all updates on Russia-Ukraine war on our Live Blog Here

"In fact, they are being held as hostages. 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," he said.

The claim came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the situation in Kharkiv, where nearly one thousands students were stranded.

Kharkiv crisis

On March 2, the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked students in Kharkiv to immediately evacuate the city, and reach nearby towns by 6 pm (9:30 pm IST). It said students need to leave at the earliest for the towns of Pesochyn, Babai and Bezlyudivka, located around 12-15 kilometres from Kharkiv.

"Our embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine. We note that with the cooperation of Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv yesterday," the MEA said on March 3

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, is situated only 56 km from the Russian border and has been continuously shelled for three days now. Sources said the embassy guidance came after Russia informed India of impending military actions scheduled for March 2.

On March 2, the MEA said that overall an estimated 17,000 Indians have left Ukraine since the embassy in Kiev released its first advisory. This included 3,352 Indian students who have returned via 15 flights since the invasion began. Currently, operation Ganga has 15 more flights scheduled over the next 24 hours.