New Delhi: Russia is trying to bring Indians from Ukrainian conflict zones to its country.
The new Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov said his government was working on ways to “provide corridor to Indians for secure passage to Russian territory”.
Alipov added: “We are in touch with India on the safety of Indians in Kharkiv, Sumy and other conflict zones in Ukraine”.
Alipov arrived in India a few days ago and is the ambassador-designate. He is yet to present his credentials to President Ram Nath Kovind. He held his first briefing on Wednesday where he said Russia would launch a “humanitarian corridor” through Russian territory for Indians.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated in Sonbhadra on Wednesday that India would not spare any effort to bring home citizens from Ukraine.
A 21-year-old medical student from Haveri, Karnataka died in heavy shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.
New Delhi has expressed its deep concern about stranded citizens to both Russia and Ukraine.
Nearly 5,000 Indians, mostly medical students, are still stuck in the border regions of Ukraine’s east and northeast.
Meanwhile, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Wednesday that India was setting up an embassy in the Ukrainian city Lviv after evacuating all citizens from the capital Kyiv.
He did not say if the embassy in Kyiv would be shut.
Shringla told CNN: “The Embassy office in Ukraine is being set up in Lviv, which will enable our Embassy teams to spread out to the border areas of Ukraine with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.”
Shringla said the proximity to the western border would help the embassy better cope with the evacuation into neighbouring countries.
Shringla had said Tuesday that all Indian nationals had left Kyiv.
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