The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has told stranded citizens to leave Kharkiv immediately on Wednesday, March 2, but it is near impossible to move out of the war-torn city, a student in Kharkiv told TNM. The Indian Embassy issued two advisories on Wednesday, with the first asking Indian citizens to leave Kharkiv by 6 pm Ukraine time (9.30 pm IST), and then a second which asked them to leave the city immediately. Indians in Kharkiv have been asked to reach the neighbouring cities of Pesochin, Babai and Bezlyudovka “under all circumstances” and to walk to these places if they can’t find transportation.
Thaha Sheikh from the Kharkiv National Medical University, who is currently at a railway station in the city, told TNM, “Around 500 students have been waiting at the Kharkiv metro station since 6 am. There is shelling happening in the city.” A photograph from a railway station showed the dire situation in the city, which is already seeing shelling from Russian armed forces. A student also told TNM that there is shelling happening around the railway station. The death of 21-year-old Naveen due to shelling in Kharkiv has also spread panic and now students are scared of stepping out, another student added.
He also told TNM that they walked 13 kilometres and reached the railway station, and hadn’t eaten any food since 6 am. “We will try to get a train at 2.30 pm (around 6 pm IST). If not, we have no option but to go back to the bunker,” he said.
A photo from the railway station in Kharkiv showed a massive crowd — Indians as well as those from other countries — with panic writ large on their faces. Thaha also told TNM that the situation in Kharkiv is dire, as citizens face only two options — either getting on a train out of the city or going back to the bunkers that they were taking shelter in.
Many also replied to the tweet by the Indian Embassy stating that they had no means of reaching Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka by 6 pm Ukraine time. Pesochin is 11 km away from the main city of Kharkiv, Babaye is 15 km away, and Bezlyudovka is around 19 km away from Kharkiv. Buses and taxis are hard to find, and many Indian citizens are trying to walk to these locations. They, however, are scared of being out in the open in a war zone, as shelling was reported in many parts of the city on Wednesday.
India’s advisory comes a day after an Indian student, 21-year-old Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagouda, was killed in shelling while he was waiting in a line outside a supermarket in Kharkiv. Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-biggest city on its eastern side with a population of about 1.5 million. Many students are believed to be stuck there in bunkers, trying to find their way to cross the country to get to the evacuation points on the western border of Ukraine.