News Analysis India

Tag: Russia-Ukraine war

  • Don’t move to border posts without coordination with us: Indian embassy in Ukraine

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Saturday advised its stranded nationals in Ukraine to exercise caution at all times and not move to any border posts to exit the country without prior coordination with its officials.

    The Indian embassy in Ukraine issued a fresh advisory in view of increasing Russian attacks on several Ukrainian cities and reports of heavy fighting around the capital Kyiv.

    The embassy particularly advised those staying in the eastern part of Ukraine to continue to remain in their current places of residence and stay indoors or in shelters as much as possible.

    “All Indian Citizens in Ukraine are advised to not move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with the government of India officials at the border posts (helpline numbers established) and the emergency numbers of the embassy of India in Kyiv,” the embassy said.

    It said the situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the embassy is working continuously with the Indian missions in the neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of the citizens.

    “Embassy is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who reach border checkpoint without prior intimation,” it said in the advisory.

    Notwithstanding the difficult ground situation, India on Friday managed to set up camp offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine to facilitate the transit of Indians to Hungary, Romania and Poland.

    India also positioned teams of officials at Zahony border post in Hungary, Krakowiec as well as Shehyni-Medyka land border points in Poland, Vysne Nemecke in the Slovak Republic and Suceava transit point in Romania to coordinate the exit of Indian nationals from Ukraine.

  • Air India plane departs from Mumbai for Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An Air India plane departed from the Mumbai airport on Saturday morning for Romanian capital Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive.

    The flight, AI1943, took off from the Mumbai airport around 3.40 AM and is expected to land at the Bucharest airport around 10 AM (Indian Standard Time), senior government officials said.

    Indian nationals who have reached the Ukraine-Romania border by road are being taken to Bucharest by Indian government officials so that they can be evacuated in the Air India flight, they noted.

    Air India will operate more flights on Saturday to Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since the morning of February 24 and therefore, the evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.

    Around 20,000 Indians, mainly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, the officials said.

    Before the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had conducted one flight to Ukrainian capital Kyiv on February 22 that brought 240 people back to India.

    It had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26 but it could not do so as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was consequently shut down.

    Air India said on Twitter on Friday night that it will be operating flights on B787 aircraft from Delhi and Mumbai to Bucharest and Budapest on Saturday as special government charter flights to fly back stranded Indian citizens.

    The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Friday said it is working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.

    “At present, teams are getting in place at the following check points: Chop-Zahony Hungarian border near Uzhhorod, Porubne-Siret Romanian border near Chernivtsi,” it said.

    Indian nationals, especially students, living closest to these border checkpoints are advised to depart in an organised manner in coordination with teams from the Ministry of External Affairs to actualise this option, the embassy said.

    Once the above-mentioned routes are operational, the Indian nationals travelling on their own would be advised to proceed to the border checkpoints, it noted.

    The embassy advised Indian travellers to carry their passports, cash (preferably in US dollars), other essential items and COVID-19 vaccination certificates to the border checkpoints.

    “Print out Indian flag and paste prominently on vehicles and buses while travelling,” it said.

    The distance between Kyiv and the Romanian border checkpoint is approximately 600 kilometres and it takes anywhere between eight-and-a-half hours to 11 hours to cover it by road.

    Bucharest is located approximately 500 kilometres from the Romanian border checkpoint and it takes anywhere between seven to nine hours to cover the distance by road.

    The distance between Kyiv and the Hungarian border checkpoint is around 820 kilometres and it takes 12-13 hours to cover it by road.

  • India abstains on UNSC resolution condemning Russia’s ‘aggression’ against Ukraine

    By PTI

    UNITED NATIONS: India abstained on a US-sponsored UN Security Council resolution that condemned Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine and demanded “immediate, complete and unconditional” withdrawal of Russian forces from the neighbouring country.

    The UN Security Council voted on Friday on the draft resolution sponsored by the US and Albania and supported by several other nations including Poland, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Luxembourg and New Zealand.

    11 countries voted in favour of the resolution while three countries, including India, abstained. 

    A permanent member of the Security Council, Russia used its veto power blocking the resolution, as expected, but western nations said the resolution seeks to show Moscow’s isolation on the global stage for its invasion and actions against Ukraine.

    All eyes were on how India will cast its vote on the resolution given that New Delhi has strong defence ties with Moscow.

    During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi “appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue.”

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss Russia’s “premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine”, the State Department said.

    Blinken “stressed the importance of a strong collective response to condemn Russia’s invasion and call for an immediate withdrawal and ceasefire.”

    India has so far refrained from condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine and in a statement in the Security Council on Wednesday night, just as Putin ordered Ukraine’s invasion, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti expressed “deep concern” over the developments, which if not handled carefully, may well undermine the peace and security of the region.

    Ahead of the UNSC vote, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that in a call to Jaishankar, he asked “India to use all influence in its relations with Russia to force it to cease military aggression against Ukraine. Urged India as a non-permanent UNSC member to support today’s draft resolution on restoring peace in Ukraine.”

    The resolution condemned Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine” and decides that Russia “shall immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and shall refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any UN member state.

    ” The resolution also said that Russia “shall immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.” The resolution said Moscow “shall immediately and unconditionally reverse the decision related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.”

    A senior Biden administration official had said a day before that Washington was putting forward the resolution “with every expectation that Russia will use its veto” and in doing so, “they will underscore their isolation.”

    “First, of course, we expect that Russia will use its veto. And in doing so, they will underscore their isolation. We’re not going to abandon our principles; we’re not going to stand by and do nothing. It’s important that we send a message to Ukraine, to Russia, and to the world that the Security Council will not look away,” the official said.