Thousands of Indian students, including hundreds from Kerala, are still stranded in various parts of Ukraine as the Russian attack continues. Many have sought shelter in metro stations located underground and among them is Aparna Vinod from Kannur in Kerala.
An MBBS student at Kharkiv, Aparna said that her city, located in the northeastern part of Ukraine, was barely 40 km from the Russian border. “Along with some friends, I rushed to the underground metro station around 2.30 pm on Thursday,” she told Manorama Online over the phone.
“We had received instructions to shift to bunkers or underground stations to be safe from the bombings,” explained Aparna.
However, food and drinking water are a big problem, she added. “I had no breakfast or lunch on Friday,” she said.
On Thursday, some friends had ventured outside the Metro station and were able to buy some food. “Most shops have few items and there are big crowds. The prices too have spiralled upwards. A food item which earlier cost 20 hryvnia (Ukrainian currency) now sells at 100,” said Aparna.
For drinking water, Aparna and her friends are forced to depend on public taps.
“On Friday morning, we went to the apartment where we stayed to take some food. But, we heard bomb blasts and ran back to the safety of the Metro station,” she said.
“Now I am inside a Metro train at Peremoha station. Those who couldn’t find space inside the train stayed on the platform. There are hundreds of Indians here,” informed Aparna.
She also said that the population of Indians in Kharkiv numbered around 3,000. “We have contacted the Indian embassy in Kyiv, NORKA and other agencies through e-mail. All of them replied that rescue efforts were underway,” said Aparna.
“The Indian government is reportedly planning to take us to some other country by road. However, we have received no official information regarding this move. Incidentally, all roads to the Kharkiv are already blocked. How will the rescue vehicles reach us?” she asked.
With Kharkiv close to the Russian border, Aparna said that she could hear continuous sounds of shelling. “Some people said that the Russian tanks were a mere five km away,” she added.
