No report of Indian students being held hostages: India clarifies on Ukraine, Russia allegations

Indian External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, Russia, Ukraine
File image of External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar
Indian External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, Russia, Ukraine
File image of External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar

After the Russian Embassy in India alleged that Indian students were being held as hostages in Ukraine, the ministry of external affairs confirmed on Thursday that it had not received any information of a hostage crisis involving any students in Ukraine. According to Arindam Bagchi, the ministry’s official spokeswoman, the Indian embassy in Ukraine is in constant contact with Indian nationals in Ukraine. “As a consequence of the Ukrainian government’s support, a large number of students evacuated Kharkiv yesterday. There have been no reports of any students being kidnapped. We’ve asked the Ukrainian government for help in organising special trains to transport students from Kharkiv and surrounding areas to the western portion of the nation “According to the MEA statement.

“Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova are among the countries in the region with which we have successfully coordinated. In the previous several days, a substantial number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine. We appreciate the Ukrainian government’s assistance in making this happen. We express our gratitude to Ukraine’s western neighbours for hosting Indian people and accommodating them while they awaited planes back home “Russia’s assertions were clarified by the ministry.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar
The official statement that was released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs

India has been caught in the crossfire between Russia and Ukraine, with both reporting that Indians have been kidnapped and blaming the other. Ukraine and Russia both claimed hostages around 12:18 a.m. on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry said that Ukrainian officials detained forcibly a big group of Indian students who tried to leave Kharkiv for Belgorod. “In truth, they are being held as hostages and are being offered the opportunity to flee Ukraine over the Ukrainian-Polish border.” They offered to travel through areas where active hostilities are taking place, according to Russia’s defence ministry.

Russia’s armed forces have also stated that they are prepared to assist India in the safe evacuation of Indian people by transporting them to Russian territory.

Ukraine, on the other hand, claims that Russian troops in Kharkiv are holding foreign nationals captive. “We urgently ask the governments of India, Pakistan, China, and other nations whose students have been kidnapped by Russian armed aggression in Kharkiv and Sumy to demand from Russia the release of their students. and that a humanitarian passage is opened to other Ukrainian towns,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.

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