Sheikh Abrar tries to sleep amid the sound of sirens and explosions. He doesn’t dare turn on his phone, or keep a light on. Every night he prays for safety.
“We don’t know how many people will die,” the 22-year-old Indian medical student told DailyExpertNews by phone on Monday from the eastern city of Sumy, about 330 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and close to the Russian border.
“Every night, every day we hear sirens. Whenever we hear an alarm or hear shots in the air, we have to rush to the (underground) bunkers,” he said.
Abrar is one of approximately 13,000 Indians stranded in Ukraine as Indian authorities step up efforts to evacuate their citizens.
“They will evacuate us when there is no one left (on the left). Everyone will die,” Abrar said.
Abrar has taken refuge in a hostel. But as Ukraine enters its sixth day of Russia’s unprovoked invasion, supplies – including food and water – are running low, leaving him and about 400 others with him desperate for help.
“Every second, every minute we are tweeting… we are trying to reach the Indian embassy, but what are they doing?” he said.
Indians evacuated: Since Ukraine’s airspace was closed last week, India has evacuated about 2,000 nationals — mostly medical students like Abrar — from the country.
According to the medical student, India was late in issuing advice to leave the country, and when they did so on February 15, most were unable to return. Flight costs rose and many middle-class families could not afford the journey home, he said.
On Monday, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine repeated that all students must make the journey west to be evacuated. Several Indian ministers will travel to neighboring countries to coordinate the evacuation mission, a senior government official told DailyExpertNews on Monday.
But for Abrar, the decision to stay or leave carries serious risks.
“All roads are blocked…if we travel by bus, we cannot cross to the west because Russian troops are everywhere,” he said. “We are stuck here. We need help.”
