The Russian strike on Ukraine has left many Indian-origin students stranded. Most of the students studying in cities across Ukraine have asked the Indian government to help them evacuate the conflict area while some managed to leave on their own before the airstrikes on Thursday. Amid the fear and chaos, an MP girl from Harda has stood out by claiming that she would not return to India just yet. Harda native, Tanuja Patel has said that she will be home only after completing her studies. It would take two more months for her to complete her medical degree – MBBS.

After the Russian strike on Ukraine on Thursday early morning, Tanuja’s family made frantic calls to her urging her to return immediately, somehow, the girl put up a brave face saying she is not apprehensive and was safe. “At around 5 am, blasts took pace in bordering cities including Kyiv, Kharkyiv, Lugansk and Lviv,” Tanuja told her mother on a video call on Thursday.

She claimed that she has two more months to complete her MBBS course at Poltava State Medical University and will return only after completing the course.

Anxious parents have advised the girl to stay safe.

“She had left for Ukraine six years ago and lives in Poltava city, around 500 km from the Russian border. She has declined to come back saying she will return only after completing the course. We are anxious about her safety,” Mamta Patel, Tanuja’s mother said. Tanuja’s father Balram Jaat is a government school teacher in Harda town.

Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who was in Bhopal on Thursday said that the Centre was committed to bringing back Indian nationals and a flight sent to Ukraine had returned as air space was closed down. As soon as the air space is re-opened, we will start operations to bring back students, he added.

Indore boy Attended class Despite Airstrike

Indore student Pranav Rai, who lives in Ukrainian town Ternopil and studies MBBS in local State Medical University, seemed calm and claimed that he even attended his class as regular on Thursday. Speaking to News18 on phone, he said that he was safe but wanted to return to India whenever possible. Pranav says he lives in the western part of Ukraine while the Russian invasion has taken place in the eastern region.

Another Indore native Saurabh Parmar issued a video on Thursday and said that he is a student of Kharkiv National Medical University and will be leaving for India on February 28. Saurabh and his friends initially planned to take a flight from Kharkiv but the local airlines were not accepting Indian currency. They arranged currency in dollars with help of their families and booked a charter flight to India from the capital Kyiv on February 27, which was later rescheduled to February 28. We will be required to travel from Kyiv in 6-7 hours and then they would travel to a place Boryspil in around one hour to board the flight, the student said.

Chhattisgarh Students hide in Hostel Basement

Deepti Pandey a native of Bhilai on a call told her family on Thursday night that she and three other girls of Bhilai are staying in the hostel basement in Kyiv. The Indian embassy and local administration have asked them to be ready with food, water and other essentials for any possible evacuation.

The girls had gone to Kyiv airport but were asked to return after the Russian strike.

Deepti claimed that a large number of Indians have hid themselves in underground metro after the attack.

“After the attack on Thursday, people ran to buy ration, lined up at banks to withdraw cash and administration asked us to switch off cellphones,” said Deepti.

Her friends Shruti and Shreya have also been stranded in Kyiv city. The Chhattisgarh government has compiled data of total 75 students from the state who are still in Ukraine.

Sources said that several students have found shelter in Indian embassy in Kyiv and there are over 200 students from Chhattisgarh still in Ukraine.

“We had heard four blasts on Thursday early morning, Kharkyiv native Tushar,”  Goswami said in a video who is an MBBS student in VIth year at VN Karazin University. Tushar and other were shifted to bunkers later on. He pleaded state government for help. We are coordinating with Centre and Indian to ensure safe return of our students,” CM Bhupesh Baghel said.

Morena Students Find Refuge at Indian Embassy

Three MBBS students from Morena who are pursuing their degree from Ternopil University are stranded in the capital city Kyiv. After appearing in an exam on February 23, they were part of 200 Indian students who were to return to India on Feb 24 from Kyiv airport but after the Russian strike, the students were asked to turn away. Later they found shelter at the Indian embassy, said their families in Morena. Ratlam girl Vaishali who lives in Kharkiv city told her family on a video call that a curfew has been clamped down in the city and the Indian embassy has asked the students to be ready to leave anytime to either India or any nearby country.

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