Indian students who left Ukraine can continue their education in Russia; all details here

"Indian students who left Ukraine can continue their education in Russia as the medical syllabus is almost the same (as Ukraine). They know the language of people, as in Ukraine, most of them spoke Russian. They're most welcome in Russia," said Oleg Avdeev, the Consul General of Russia in Chennai. When the Russia-Ukraine war began, as many 20,000 Indian students were pursuing education in Ukraine, primarily in the field of medicine. They were evacuated from the war-torn nation by India under a special operation named "Operation Ganga".

Since they returned to India, their academic future has been uncertain. Back in July, Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi had made a similar statement. Roman Babushkin had said that since the education system and curriculum in Ukrainian universities and Russian universities are by and large the same, the students will be able to adjust in the new country quite easily. 

Unclear if there has been any progress for Ukraine-returned Indian students since July

The students would be admitted into Russian universities that are on par with the Ukrainian universities in terms of fees and education. Roman Babushkin said that the affected students should approach Russia House in India for help and guidance. It isn't clear if there has been any progress after the statements made in July and if students who returned from Ukraine have gone to Russia to continue their education. The plight of these students has been largely ignored ever since they returned to India. A significant number of students who were rescued under Operation Ganga have actually gone back to Ukraine to continue their education. 

Estimates suggest that as many as 1,500 students have actually gone back to Ukraine. In October, when Russia began striking Ukraine's critical infrastructure after the attack on the Crimea bridge, the MEA issued an advisory to Indians in Ukraine, asking them to leave the country. Despite the advisory, the students who were rescued from Ukraine last year, are now saying that they will not leave Ukraine under any circumstance. "We are not going to leave after returning here just a few months ago, having faced all sorts of odds. We will only go back to India after completing our studies or in coffins, in case we die in the ongoing turmoil," said one student to another publication.

Image: AP