Situation tense and uncertain, Indian envoy in Ukraine tells stranded nationals to stay calm

The situation is highly tense and very uncertain and this of course is causing a lot of anxiety, said Indian Ambassador Partha Satpathy to Ukraine on Thursday reaching out to stranded Indian nationals.

Satpathy said, "I am reaching out to you from Kiev. Today early morning, we all woke up with the news that Ukraine is under attack."

The air space is closed, railway schedules are in a flux and roads are crammed, he said requesting everyone to stay calm and face the situation with fortitude.

The embassy continues to remain open and operate in Kiev, Satpathy said.

Family members of Danish Rasool, a medical student studying in Ukraine, speaks with him on a mobile phone at their residence in Srinagar. AFP

He urged Indian nationals to please stay wherever they are, in their familiar locations. "Those who are in transit, please return to your familiar places of habitation. Those who are stranded here in Kiev, please get in touch with your friends and colleagues in Kiev, universities and other community members, so that you can temporarily lodge there," he said.

The ambassador said, "We have already reached out to the Indian Diaspora and have requested them to assist to the best of our abilities."

He said that he is inundated with calls, so is the Embassy and they are doing their best to help.

"If there is a critical emergency, contact us on the emergency lines provided. Please follow our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Website) for any updates that we will be putting out," he stated.

As of now, Indian government are seized of the situation and working on a mission mode to find a solution to this difficult situation, he added.

Earlier in the day, the Indian embassy in Ukraine announced that they are making alternative arrangements for evacuation of stranded nationals.

The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.

Indo-Asian News Service