India on Thursday claimed that its students in Ukraine were taken hostage by Ukrainian security forces who are using them as “human shields”. Responding to media queries on the situation, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that they “have not received any such report”.
“Our Embassy in Ukraine is in constant touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine. We note that in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left from Kharkiv yesterday,” Bagchi said in an official communication shared on his Twitter handle.
“We have not received any report of any hostage situation in respect of any student. We have requested the support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains to take students from Kharkiv and neighboring regions to the western part of the country.”
The official said several Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine in the past few days, dismissing claims of hostage status by Russian defense sources a day earlier.
“We are coordinating effectively with countries in the region, including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. A large number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine in the last few days.
“We appreciate the help extended by the Ukrainian authorities to make this possible. We thank Ukraine’s western neighbors for accommodating them while waiting for flights to receive Indian citizens and take them back home. are,” he said.
After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the Kremlin said in its statement that Ukraine is using Indian students as human shields. “The Russian side, in particular, is trying to organize the immediate evacuation of a group of Indian students from Kharkov (the Russian name for Kharkiv) through a humanitarian corridor along the shortest route to Russia,” said a readout. .
“At the same time, according to the latest information, these students are actually taken hostage by Ukrainian security forces, who use them as human shields and in every possible way prevent them from entering Russian territory. In this case The responsibility lies entirely with the Kyiv authorities.”
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