A new route through Moldova was identified for evacuation of stranded nationals from Ukraine, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Monday, ANI reported.
“An MEA team reached Moldova today morning as Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringala had mentioned yesterday [Sunday],” he said. “That team is now in place. They will assist in evacuation operations on Indians through Romania as Moldova is land-locked.”
The citizens will come to Moldova, from where they will proceed to Bucharest city in Romania where they will board flights to India.
“This new route should help Indians in Southern Ukraine around Odesa and those near Ukraine-Moldova borders,” added Bagchi.
He added that India had evacuated over 8,000 nationals since the first advisory had been issued last week.
“We are separately expanding the evacuation process through the Hungary border,” Bagchi said. “There is a city of Uzhhorod that foreign secretary mentioned yesterday [Sunday], we are using that as a staging point for that area.”
Meanwhile, the government has decided to send four Union Ministers to countries bordering Ukraine to oversee the evacuation of Indians still stranded in that country.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will be headed for Romania, Kiren Rijiju to Slovakia, Hardeep Puri Singh Puri to Hungary and General (retd) VK Singh to Poland.
Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation VK Singh, who is being sent to Poland, said that there will be restrictions in war zone along with border guards on both sides.
“If you don’t have patience and don’t follow the instructions things can go wrong,” he said, while giving an assurance that “no Indian will be left behind.”
Bagchi also said that India will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including medicines.
Earlier on Monday, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine advised citizens stranded in the capital Kyiv to head to the railway station as the city lifted the weekend curfew.
The embassy said that Ukrainian authorities have started special trains for evacuations that Indians could use to reach border areas of the country.
India is looking to evacuate its citizens through land routes after Ukraine closed its airspace for civilian aircraft following the attack from Russia.
So far, the government’s evacuation plan has been to make the citizens cross over to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia and then fly them to India.
Bagchi on Monday advised Indians to travel to West Ukraine but cautioned against going directly to the border, which is crowded. “Go to nearby cities and seek shelter there,” he said. “We are making arrangements there, our teams will help you.”
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