New Delhi:

Videos of Indian students in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion show them asking for help to return home. Some students have not left their apartments, while others have moved to underground metro rail stations that could serve as bomb shelters. Some 16,000 Indians are in Ukraine, most of them students.

In one such video, an Indian student is heard requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to make swift arrangements to evacuate Indians. The student, Manish Jaiswal, is studying medicine in Ukraine and is from UP’s Ballia.

“We feel helpless. Three-four bombs have struck the city since morning. We are running low on supplies. Air routes are closed. I request Narendra Modi ji and Yogi Adityanath ji to make arrangements for evacuation of Indians as soon as possible,” Mr Jaiswal said in the video shot in his apartment. He did not mention which city in Ukraine he is staying.

In a video sent by another Indian student, people are seen sitting on the floors of an underground metro train station. Nilesh Jain, who is studying in western Ukraine’s Ternopil, said they have been stuck at the metro station for nearly 30 hours.

“The internet connection is not good. We can hear bombs exploding. Please help us. I appeal to PM Modi ji to evacuate us from here quickly,” Mr Jain said.

In a video posted on Koo, an Indian student from Gujarat said there are long queues in ATMs and shops, and everyone is in a panic. “Students who had booked flights to India couldn’t go home because their flights got cancelled after Ukraine closed its airspace,” the student said.

An Air India flight sent for evacuation yesterday morning had to return midway. The Indian embassy has asked people to turn away if they were heading to the capital, Kyiv, and return to the cities they live in.

Missiles have targeted major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv. Russia’s ground forces crossed into Ukraine from several directions and explosions were seen in cities along the coast.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the invasion is to defend separatists in the east of the country against “genocide”.