PANAJI
A large group of students, which includes a Goan student from Benaulim, stranded in Sumy-Ukraine amid the raging battle between Russia and Ukraine, on Saturday, threatened to risk their lives by moving towards the border with Russia.
The distraught students in their SOS video clip, which has gone viral on social media, have stated that this would be their “last video” as they could not wait any longer.
The video clip shows several students standing in the snow and holding many Indian flags. One student in the group is Jaeden Gomes Pereira (19) of Benaulim, who has been stranded in Sumy and seeking shelter in a bunker for nearly 10 days.
“We are students of Sumy State University. It’s the 10th day of war. Today, we got the news that Russia has announced a ceasefire to open humanitarian corridors for two cities. One of them is Mariupol, which is 600 km away from Sumy,” said one of the students in the video clip.
“Since morning, we are constantly listening to bombarding, shelling, street fights. We are afraid. We have waited a lot and we cannot wait any more. We are risking our lives; we are moving towards the border.”
In a dire warning, the student added: “If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be on the government and the Indian Embassy. If anything happens to us, to anyone, Mission Ganga will be the biggest failure.”
Another student added: “This is the last video from the Sumy State University students and we are just risking our life, and we are just going to this border which Russia has offered.”
“So, this will be our last request and last video guys. Just pray for us. And, the government, please let you guys know that we are moving at our own risk. This is our last video.”
Meanwhile, Jaeden’s mother, Anita Misquita Gomes Pereira, implored authorities to act fast in the process to evacuate the students from Sumy.
“My plea to the State government and the central government is to please accelerate the evacuation. The children are getting frustrated and may take a risk which could be dangerous to their lives,” said Anita.
The video clip has been shared by Goans in several social media groups, amid hopes that the message of the distraught students would exert added pressure on Indian authorities to act with urgency and expedite their evacuation to India.
Many people have also been appealing for prayers for the safety of the students caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Please stay inside, MEA appeals
PANAJI: The Ministry of External Affairs has appealed to the stranded students in Sumy-Ukraine, who have threatened to move towards the Russian border, to stay inside shelters and to avoid unnecessary risks.
In a series of tweets, Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, stated: “We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students.”
“Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks. The ministry and our embassies are in regular touch with the students,” Bagchi added.
