Moscow/ New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: India on Thursday said it has "not received" any reports of Indian nationals or students being used as "human shields" or kept as "hostages" by Ukrainian military personnel in Kharkiv and other cities as alleged by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has also requested the Ukrainian authorities to arrange special trains for students in Kharkiv and other neighbouring areas to to the western part of the country.
Bagchi added India is closely coordinating with neighbouring countries of Ukraine - including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova - in a bid to evacuate the Indian nationals.
"Our Embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine. We note that with the cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv yesterday. We have not received any reports of any hostage situation regarding any student," Bagchi said.
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"A large number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine in the last few days. We appreciate the help extended by the Ukrainian authorities to make this possible. We thank Ukraine’s western neighbours in receiving Indian nationals and for accommodating them while they waited for flights to take them back home," he added.
On Wednesday, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's telephonic conversation with President Vladimir Putin, Russia had accused the Ukrainian forces of using Indian nationals, including students, as "human shields" and keeping them as "hostages".
In a press briefing, a senior Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson, however, said the Kremlin is ready to help in the safe evacuation of Indians and "send them home from the Russian territory with its own military transport planes or Indian planes", as proposed by New Delhi.
"According to our information, Ukrainian authorities forcibly keep a large group of Indian students in Kharkov who wish to leave Ukrainian territory and go to Belgorod," said the spokesperson, as reported by news agency ANI. "In fact, they are being held as hostages and offered to leave the territory of Ukraine via Ukrainian-Polish border. They offered to go through the territory where active hostilities are taking place."
However, the Ukrainian government has strongly rejected the Russial allegations, saying it is ready to assist foreign students to relocate from Kharkiv and Sumy. It also called on the Russian armed forces to end all hostilities immediately, allowing it to "arrange the evacuation of the civilian population, including foreign students, to safer Ukrainian cities".
"There are students from India, Pakistan, China and other counties who cannot leave because of the indiscriminate shelling and barbaric missile strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on residential areas and civilian infrastructure," said the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in a statement.
"The Government of Ukraine stands ready to assist foreign students to relocate from Kharkiv and Sumy should Russia commit to a ceasefire. Attempting to arrange evacuations through cities that are being subjected to Russian bombing and missile strikes is extremely dangerous," it added.