Russia-Ukraine crisis: Last evacuation flight carrying 700 Indian students flown to Delhi

About 700 Indian students from Sumy University in Ukraine are being flown to Delhi on Thursday in the last evacuation flight under Operation Ganga.

The students were evacuated from the university and brought to Poland in a special train from Lviv late on Wednesday night. According to Indian officials, Ukrainian authorities arranged the train for the students. Those students who choose to stay back in Poland will have to fend for themselves after the last flight leaves the country.

Over 22,000 Indian students – and a few from other countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tunisia – have been flown under Operation Ganga, which deployed Air India and Indian Air Force aircraft.

Top Indian officials, besides embassy staff have been involved in the evacuation of students over the past few days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukranian premier Volodymyr Zelensky, while external affairs minister S. Jaishankar was in constant touch with his counterparts in the two countries.

About 50 Indian officials, many of who are fluent in Russian, were also sent to the two countries and Poland and Hungary for coordinating the massive evacuation of stranded Indians in Ukraine.