Exploring all possible ways to evacuate Indians from Sumy: Indian embassy

The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Saturday said it is exploring all possible ways to safely evacuate the Indian nationals from the eastern Ukranian cities of Sumy and Pisochyn.

The embassy specifically said it is reaching out to 298 Indian students in Pisochyn and buses are en route to evacuate them.

"Reaching out to our 298 students in Pisochyn. Buses are enroute and expected to arrive soon. Please follow all safety instructions and precautions. Be Safe Be Strong," it said.

The mission also said it is in touch with all the interlocutors concerned, including the Red Cross, to identify the exit routes to take out the Indians from Sumy.

Sumy is one of the conflict zones witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

"Exploring all possible mechanisms to evacuate Indian citizens in Sumy, safely & securely. Discussed evacuation & identification of exit routes with all interlocutors including Red Cross," the embassy said in a tweet.

"Control room will continue to be active until all our citizens are evacuated. Be Safe Be Strong," it said.

The Indian students currently stuck in Pisochyn had reached the city from Kharkiv following an advisory issued by the embassy on Wednesday.

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said on Friday that around 700 Indians were stranded in Sumy.

At a media briefing, Bagchi had also urged both the Ukrainian and Russian sides to put in place a "local ceasefire" for the evacuation of Indians from the conflict zones, including Kharkiv and Sumy.

He had said India is primarily focussing on evacuating its nationals out of the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Sumy, adding that the number of Indians stuck in Ukraine could be roughly in the range of 2,000 to 3,000.