On the night of February 23, medical student M Sai Krishna and his roommates, living in a flat in Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, didn't know what the days ahead had in store for them. Next morning, they woke up to the sound of blasts and several calls from family and friends telling them that a war had broken out in Ukraine.
It has been five days since fighting broke out in Ukraine. Krishna, who is pursuing masters in General Surgery from Kyiv Medical University, reached Romania Tuesday morning. From hiding in underground shelters to seeing the road outside his flat flooded with tanks and fighter jets flying above, the past week has been traumatic for Krishna, and other Indian students stranded in conflict-torn Ukraine.
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"We never thought fighting would reach the capital city," he said while participating in a Twitter Spaces conversation organised by BOOM. While Krishna is relieved that he finally managed to exit the country safely, he blames the Indian government for neither giving clear advisories nor taking proactive action to ensure Indian nationals could leave the country safely. The large Indian student community have been left to fend for themselves, taking all kind of desperate steps to reach the border areas, said Krishna to BOOM.
What Happened On February 24?
Russian President Vladimir Putin on last Thursday announced a military operation against Ukraine. Soon after air raid sirens went off in parts of Ukraine. As the day proceeded and Russian assault intensified, citizens started taking refuge in underground metro stations. Krishna was there too with this roommates. "We could hear the tanks and gunshots outside," he said. The metro station was sealed by citizens and Ukrainian military personnel.
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Earlier in the day, Krishna had packed his bags to leave Kyiv and go to Lviv. Nights weren't easy, he recalls. People were asked to turn off all lights and they sat in dark hours as fighting between the Russian and Ukranian forces kept escalating each moment on the streets.
Journey To Romanian Border
The air space was shut and Indian government activated alternative evacuation routes via nearby countries, like Romania, Poland, etc. People were taking trains to the border. Krishna too went to the railway station. But he witnessed chaos there. "Indians were being pushed aside. They were giving priority to Ukrainian nationals," he said.
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Many videos on social media showed Indian students were assaulted at one of the railway stations and some borders as well. Gunshots were fired too, Krishna said. Krishna's hopes of getting to Romanian border through a train looked tough and he decided to take the bus.
Cost Of the Bus Journey
Krishna says he was lucky to get on to the bus. It was the last bus available there that he along with other 57 students boarded to reach Romanian border. There were three Nigerians and a British citizen with them as well. However, the driver insisted on advance cash payment before starting the journey. The students shelled out 9200 USD and paid the driver who he says was kind enough to drop them off just 20 meters away from the border.
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"He spoke to military guards at the checkpoints. When we requested him that we couldn't walk 10-12kms to the border with our luggage in the snow, he agreed and took another route," Krishna recalls.
It all got easier after that. In 15 minutes, they were all on the Romanian side of border where local groups and NGOs provided them with essentials.
Many of his friends are stuck at the borders. Couple of them even got scammed of their cash on pretext of being dropped off at the airport.
Why Are People Queuing Up For Trains?
The trains to border areas are free. With most people running out of cash and buses demanding it, trains become a feasible option. But with chaos at the railway stations, things have been getting difficult for Indians finding a way out of Ukraine. "No one was prepared for a situation like this and hence we didn't think of having cash in hand," Krishna says. A friend had some cash for college fees. Some Ukrainian friends also gave them money to pay the bus to drop them off at the border.
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Did Indian Embassy Help?
An Indian embassy official was in touch with Krishna throughout as he was a personal contact. While Krishna would inform him about the situation on ground, the official was guiding him on which way to take. But there are many other students who said the embassy officials aren't responding to their repeated calls. "I am lucky to be out of the situation, but many of them are still stuck there," Krishna said.