New Delhi: With the situation in Ukraine continuing to be uncertain, India on Wednesday set up control rooms in its embassy in Kyiv and in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi to respond to queries of anxious Indian students and their families, especially on the availability of flights. India has also begun discussions with civil aviation authorities and various airlines on how to increase the number of flights between India and Ukraine, to help Indians leave, said sources. The Embassy of India in Kyiv issued an advisory on February 15 for Indian nationals in Ukraine. The Embassy continues to monitor developments, the sources added. “We are aware that many Indian students are presently in Ukraine, and their families are anxious about their wards, particularly about getting flights to India,” the sources added. The control rooms would help respond to queries of Indian nationals in Ukraine and their families in India. On Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv asked Indian nationals, especially students, to consider leaving the country temporarily, citing the “uncertainties of the current situation”. It also asked Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine. It asked all Indians to keep the Embassy informed of their whereabouts in Ukraine in case the embassy needed to reach them. The Embassy said it will continue to function normally. The developments came as on Tuesday Russia announced a partial pullback of forces from near Ukraine. However, US President Joe Biden said that more than 150,000 Russian troops were still amassed near Ukraine’s borders. UNI RN
