India evacuates its citizens from eastern Ukraine

Kiev, June 3 :

The Indian mission in Ukraine has been facilitating the evacuation of nearly a thousand Indian nationals, particularly students, from the restive eastern region of Lugansk in the country, the Indian embassy in the Ukraine capital said.

A total of 27 students were received in Kiev by the Indian embassy till Tuesday forenoon, the embassy said in a statement available on its website.

“All the Indian nationals including students being evacuated from Lugansk would be lodged at Hotel Ramada Encore Kiev,” the embassy said.

The embassy, with cooperation from the Ukrainian government, arranged seats on trains leaving Lugansk Tuesday and Wednesday in order to evacuate all Indian nationals from Lugansk to Kiev.

Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson at the Indian Ministry of External affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, said in a tweet Tuesday: “Arrangements underway. Mission in cooperation with Ukraine Govt. arranging for move of Indians students in Lugansk.”

There are approximately 2,500 Indian students studying medicine and engineering in Ukrainian universities, according to the Indian embassy website.

There is also a small Indian business community in Kiev.

Ukraine plunged into chaos in late February after the ouster of the previous cabinet and president Viktor Yanukovych, which resulted in its Black Sea Crimean peninsula breaking away and joining Russia.

Less than a month later, unrest began in eastern Ukrainian regions, where insurgents are demanding independence from Kiev and closer ties with Moscow.

(IANS)