Jaishankar says Indian students in Ukraine were discouraged from leaving by varsities

Amid the raging war between Russia and Kyiv, evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine got delayed due to "confusing political statements" by the Ukrainian government, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said on Tuesday. Addressing a suo moto session at the Rajya Sabha, his statement came in response to the opposition's questions over the delayed step to evacuate Indian students from the war zone. He also added that the Indian students in Ukraine were "positively discouraged" by their universities against leaving the country.

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had himself said that there was no need to panic...Sitting here, it is very easy to pass judgment saying: we should have done this earlier or faster but please understand the situation or the students...who do they listen to?" Dr. Jaishankar said at the Rajya Sabha while delivering his statement on the 'Situation in Ukraine.'

Citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EAM Jaishankar asserted that leaders in Ukraine had said those leaving the country "contribute to creating a sense of panic." He also informed that some Ukrainian institutions showed reluctance to offer online classes. "The political signals were confusing as well. Public urging not to be taken by alarmism and reports of force withdrawals created a confusing picture," he added.

22,500 Indians returned home under Operation Ganga

Briefing the Rajya Sabha on the successfully conducted evacuation mission, 'Operation Ganga', Dr. Jaishankar stated, despite "precautionary" advisories issued between February 15 to 22 at least 4,000 Indians returned from Ukraine. "I think they did what they thought was right under the circumstances and we should not second guess them at this time," Dr. Jaishankar said, adding that "we also increased the number of flights at the time to encourage people to come back home."

Amid all the challenges posed by the burgeoning missile attacks by Russia on Ukraine, India successfully evacuated 22,500 citizens under 'Operation Ganga.' In addition, New Delhi also helped 147 foreign nationals of 18 countries to evacuate from conflict zones under India's principal 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' Jaishankar said. As many as 90 flights have been operated from Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, out of which 76 were civilian flights and 14 were of Indian Air Force.

During the full-fledged evacuation mission carried out by India, PM Narendra Modi himself spoke to his Russian counterpart, Jaishankar recalled. “He specifically took up the issue of safe evacuation of Indian nationals, especially from Kharkiv and Sumy. The PM also spoke to the Prime Ministers of Romania, Slovak Republic, Hungary and President of Poland to seek their support for facilitation of entry of Indian nationals to their countries,” the EAM said.

(Image: AP/PTI)