NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 1
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive against that country, sources said on Tuesday.
The IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft as part of Operation Ganga from Tuesday, they said.
Till now, only private Indian carriers were evacuating Indians from Romania and Hungary, countries with land borders with Ukraine on the western side, as the Ukrainian airspace had been shut since February 24.
India began evacuation of around 14,000 of its stranded citizens on February 26.
PM @narendramodi chaired a high level meet,his second today,to review the ongoing efforts under #OperationGanga to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine.
PM said that the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indians there are safe & secure.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 28, 2022
In order to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts under Operational Ganga, PM Modi has called for the IAF to join the exercise, the sources said.
Leveraging the capacities of the IAF will ensure that more people can be evacuated in a shorter time frame, they noted.
The large C-17 aircraft will also help deliver humanitarian aid to war-hit Ukraine more efficiently, they mentioned.
PM Modi briefs President Kovind over Ukraine situation
Amid India’s efforts to bring back stranded students and citizens from the conflict-torn Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Ram Nath Kovind and briefed him on the prevailing situation and steps being taken by the government, sources informed on Tuesday.
‘Leave Kyiv urgently’, advises Indian embassy
Second Advisory to all Indian Nationals/Students in Ukraine as on 28 February 2022.@MEAIndia @PIB_India @PIBHindi @DDNational @DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/lm5zT4HdlZ
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) February 28, 2022
The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday advised its nationals to leave the capital city Kyiv “urgently today” amid the deteriorating security situation due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
“Advisory to Indians in Kyiv: All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available,” the Indian embassy in Ukraine tweeted.
The Union government has launched Operation Ganga to bring back stranded students and Indian citizens from conflict-torn Ukraine.
This advisory comes as satellite images have emerged showing a long convoy of Russian military vehicles snaking along roadways northwest of Kyiv, CNN reported. Hundreds of tanks, towed artillery, armored and logistical vehicles can be seen in the image released by a US-based space technology company.
About 8000 Indian nationals have left since the initial advisories were issued by the country, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
Now Indian nationals can bring along their pets
Following an appeal for help on social media by Rishabh Kaushik, an Indian student refusing to leave the war-hit Ukraine without his companion dog Malibu, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India sent an urgent letter to the Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala requesting that he issue an urgent no-objection certificate and ensure safe transport for both the dog and Kaushik to India.
PETA India requested that the Minister ease the rules on veterinary documentation for dogs, cats, and other companion animals of families seeking safe passage from Ukraine to India.
In response to PETA’s appeal, Parshottam Rupala, issued an office memorandum stating that “considering unique and extraordinary situations in war-hit Ukraine wherein pre-export requisite formalities for export of pets into India may not be fulfilled, the import of pet dogs and/or pet cats along with stranded Indians being rescued by the Government of India is being facilitated as a one-time relaxation measure”.
The memorandum includes relaxed pre-import and post-import conditions which include the declaration of the owner that the pet dogs and / or pet cats is residing with him / her at least for the past one month and the owner should also produce the pet vaccination certificates and report at any Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) branches in India.
