Operation Ganga: Special flight carrying 183 Indian citizens arrives in Delhi
New Delhi, March 6: A special flight carrying 183 Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine arrived in Delhi on Sunday.
The flight had departed from Budapest, Hungary on Saturday under Operation Ganga launched by the Government of India to bring back stranded Indians from war-torn Ukraine.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav received the passengers at Indira Gandhi International Airport and also interacted with the students.
Meanwhile, another Indian Air Force flight carrying 210 Indians evacuated from Ukraine arrived at the Hindan airbase near Delhi from Bucharest, Romania on Sunday morning.
Following Russia's military operations against Ukraine, tensions have risen.
On late Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a high-level meeting on the Ukraine situation. Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and other high officials attended the meeting.
Ministry of External Affairs also announced that more than 13,300 people have returned to India from war-torn Ukraine under Operation Ganga. The Ministry further stated that almost all Indians have left Kharkiv, Ukraine and that the government's primary focus is on evacuating citizens from the Sumy area, which is complicated due to continued violence and a lack of transportation.
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At least 600 students are still stuck in Sumy, the northeastern state of Ukraine. They have accused the Indian government of not doing enough for their safety.
The government of India has also deployed 'special envoys' to four neighbouring countries bordering Ukraine to coordinate and oversee the evacuation process of Indian citizens.
Meanwhile, Russia has declared a ceasefire in Ukraine for opening up humanitarian corridors for civilians to be evacuated.
"Today, March 5, from 10 am Moscow time, the Russian side declares a regime of silence and opens humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha," Sputnik news agency reported citing the Russian defence ministry.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.
Also Read | Invasion of Ukraine 'gross violation of international law': Singapore as it imposes sanctions against Russia
-PTC News
