Over 22,500 Indians safely brought back home from war-torn Ukraine, says EAM S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the evacuation operations were carried out when artillery shelling and airstrikes on Ukrainian cities were ongoing.  

More than 22,500 Indians have returned home from war-torn Ukraine, External Minister S Jaishankar stated in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. 

While addressing the Rajya Sabha on the Ukraine situation and Operation Ganga, Jaishankar said that despite the challenges posed by the major ongoing conflict, the government have confirmed that about 22,500 Indians have safely returned home. 

S Jaishankar stated that the government launched Operation Ganga at the direction of Prime Minister Modi, undertaking the most difficult evacuation exercises during the ongoing conflict. "Our community was dispersed across Ukraine," he added, posing its own logistical challenges.

It is worth noting that hostilities placed the Indian community of 20,000 plus in direct danger; the minister added that even when they participated in global deliberations of the evolving situation in UNSC, the primary challenge was to protect Indian nationals and ensure they were not in danger. 

Jaishankar, who was at the forefront of the evacuation operation, said that the exercise was undertaken when military actions, including the airstrikes and shelling, were underway. It required movement across a large country in a war-torn situation, at times over 1000 km, and required exiting border checkpoints clogged by an estimated 26 lakh refugees.

Due to the war, the Ukrainian authorities shut their airspace; Jaishankar worked late into the night with his counterparts from Poland, Hungary, Romania to ensure the Indians could exit Ukraine via the borders of these countries before boarding the flight to India. 

The external minister also mentioned PM Modi's dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed the evacuation of Indians in war-zone Kharkiv and Sumi in the eastern region of Ukraine. 

The minister further added that the entire operation required a whole of government approach, with Prime Minister Modi himself chairing review meetings nearly every day. Authorities kept an eye on evacuation operations at the MEA 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said all responsible ministries and organisations, including civil aviation, defence, NDRF, IAF, and private air carriers, have provided them with tremendous support.