State to bear the cost of bringing 5,000 Tamil students in Ukraine: Stalin

The state has opened 24x7 helpline for Tamilians stranded in the war-torn nation. India weighing evacuation options via land through Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Slovak Republic and Romania

With as many as 5,000 students from Tamil Nadu stuck in Ukraine, chief minister M K Stalin said on Friday that the state will bear the cost for bringing them back, even as he urged the Centre to launch a special mission like Vande Bharath.

This comes after the war-hit country's airspace was closed for civilian aircraft on Thursday, following which Air India's second evacuation flight had to return from Iran. “I request the Government of India to arrange for Special Mission flights like Vande Bharath Mission to evacuate them from various parts of Ukraine," he said. The state has already opened a 24x7 helpline for Tamilians stranded in Ukraine. India is already looking at options like evacuating people via land route through countries like Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Slovak Republic and Romania.

At least 2,320 students from neighbouring Kerala too is stuck in Ukraine and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asking his intervention for their return through special flights.