New Delhi: The fifth flight carrying 249 Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine has landed in New Delhi on Monday (February 28) morning. The flight, running under operation Ganga, had departed from Romania's Bucharest for Delhi around 1 AM on Monday.
Bucharest in Romania is one of the European countries from where stranded Indian nationals are being flown back to the country.
The passengers praised the Indian Embassy officials for their safe evacuation from Ukraine.
"Government has helped us a lot. All possible support was provided by the Indian Embassy. The main problem is crossing the border. I hope all Indians are brought back. There are several more Indians still stranded in Ukraine," a student who arrived at Delhi from Ukraine was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Several Indian medical students on Sunday alleged that they were harassed at checkpoints on Ukraine's border with Poland. The students said they were kept in an almost hostage-like situation in the freezing cold and denied food, water, shelter or safe passage. They claimed that the border guards were abusing them because India abstained on a UNSC resolution against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The students shared videos of soldiers firing warning shots and using force to disperse them. In another clip, a Ukrainian guard was seen shoving away an Indian girl who fell on his feet and begged him to allow her to make the border crossing. Several students said Ukrainian residents have also turned hostile against them.
Amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine has advised Indian nationals against moving to any of the border checkpoints without prior coordination with government officials at border posts.
The Indian government has set up a dedicated Twitter handle to assist in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine under Operation Ganga.
The Twitter account lists helpline numbers in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic - all nations which share a border with Ukraine.
There are still around 16,000 Indian students still stranded in Ukraine. Many have made desperate appeals for help, sharing photos and videos on social media from underground bunkers, and bomb shelters, where they have been sheltering from Russian bombs and missiles.