An Indian student, taking shelter in a metro station in Ukraine like many others, has put out an appeal for help on social media.
The story of Keshav, a medical student in Ukraine, was shared by Humans of Bombay photoblog on Friday.
Keshav, who lives in Kharkiv city, said he was supposed to complete his course and become a doctor this year but the Russian invasion of Ukraine has left him in limbo.
Russia troops invaded Ukraine on February 24. What followed was a series of explosions and missile attacks in several cities.
Keshav and his roommate were shaken by one such explosion that morning. “From my family in India, I got calls every five minutes,” the student told Humans of Bombay. “They wanted to know if I was okay…if I was alive.”
The student detailed the chaos in Kharkiv after the invasion. “The city was in mayhem. People were running around to stalk up on food, water and cash. The lines were longer than usual.”
Another blast shook the city, and Keshav and his roommate rushed to a metro station to take shelter.
“More than 200 of us have been taking refuge here,” Keshav told Humans of Bombay. “The conditions are bad–the temperatures dropped down to minus and there are no heaters. But this is the only safe space; at least for now. But I don’t know till when. We’re running out of food and water."
The student added: “Just 30 minutes ago there was another blast, it shook the doors and the windows. I’m not sure for how long we will be able to withstand this. Earlier I was praying for an evacuation, but now I’m praying that the world comes together to stop this war.”
Keshav posted a video of the metro station and urged social media users to amplify it so help reaches him a nd others the earliest.
The Ukrainian airspace is closed so India is evacuating its nationals through alternative routes. Today evening, a special flight carrying Indians from Romania is scheduled to land in Mumbai.
Many others like Keshav are yet to be evacuated. There are about 20,000 Indians students in Ukraine.
“We are stuck in a war in 21st century,” Keshav said in an Instagram post from a few hours ago. "Please evacuate us. We are staying strong for our parents.”
