Shyam Kumar was sleeping in his rented apartment in Odessa, Ukraine, when a loud explosion occurred in his ears at around 5 a.m. “I first thought it might be a road accident, but soon he realized that the war is now a reality,” he told Hindu On Thursday, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. Mr. Shyam Kumar, a fifth year medical student of Odessa National Medical University and a resident of Kakkanad in Kerala, immediately opened news channels and saw pictures of explosions and airstrikes in major cities of Ukraine. “We learned later that railway stations and other important establishments in Odessa were affected,” he said.
Ayush Kumar, an Indian who studies at Danilo Halitsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv. Photo: Special Arrangements
In western Ukraine on Wednesday, Aayush Kumar was trying to book a flight back to India for March. On Thursday morning, he was instead stocking up on groceries and essentials. Danilo Halitsky, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, a second year medical student at Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, said over the phone, “I was trying to leave for India and I was looking for a flight. Today the airspace is closed. The situation in eastern Ukraine is not as dire. But we are on alert. We were told to stock up on groceries and water and prepare a small bag with documents.”
online classes
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, classes have been conducted online. A month back, he was informed that after March, classes would be offline. But with the situation worsening, professors have advised students not to panic as classes will continue online, he said. Arshsalan Azim of Guwahati is in the same college. Last year, he returned to India during his summer vacations in July and went back to Ukraine in August. He had similar plans for this year as well, until things went awry. “When we started looking for earlier flights, they were very expensive. We thought we would wait, but the situation got worse.” Mr. Azeem stays in the hostel and has stock for a week or two. “As soon as the airport opens, we want to fly back. No. So we have to move to some other country. I need money but there is no cash in ATM. There are 70 to 80 people waiting in line at the grocery store. In the worst case, we were asked to evacuate to neighboring countries He said. Students are also worried about their studies. “I am worried about my curriculum. How can I proceed if I have to leave,” he said. Imtiyaz Ahmed Tantari, 23, a second year student from Kashmir, who is studying medicine at Kharkiv National Medical University, said a notice was put up by the college authorities informing the students that teaching on the campus has been stopped for now. Has been done.
‘Told to keep calm’
“We were told by the college authorities to remain calm and stay inside. We feel safe now. We have access to basic facilities,” he said, adding that it was becoming difficult to book cabs since morning but metro services were operating normally in the city. Wi-Fi services have been suspended for the time being. “We can live without Wi-Fi as we are used to it in Kashmir. But we want to get out of Ukraine before the situation worsens.” Sitting at her university hotel, Vincy Vincent, a resident of Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, said she was only two weeks ago to pursue her six-year medical program at Sumy State University. “University officials are giving us regular updates on the situation. They have also assured support to shift us to bunkers set up on campus in view of the worsening situation,” she said. Said. According to a student of Kharkiv National Medical University, a resident of Chennai suburb, there is no official information, but airports have been closed. Students have reported that internet connections were poor, and they are not sure if they can communicate. Students, parents, activists and political organizations in various states have approached the central government seeking intervention and efforts to facilitate the return of stranded students.
, KC Deepika in Bengaluru, Peerzada Aashiq in Srinagar, G. Krishnakumar and R. Sujatha and Denise S. With inputs from Jesudasan,
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