Last updated on April 24th, 2022 at 06:13 pm
Powers such as the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have all but given up on evacuating their citizens from Ukraine and have stated as much, abdicating their responsibilities to their citizens.
The proactive and earnest efforts of Indian authorities, who are currently running the evacuation programme, Operation Ganga, in full swing to bring back Indian students from various parts of Ukraine, pale in comparison to the proactive and earnest efforts of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, and several other nations.
Many foreigners have been stranded in a besieged country as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In portions of Ukraine’s north, south, and east, Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting fiercely. Thousands of Indian citizens in Ukraine, the majority of whom are medical students, are looking for a way out, while their family in India are pleading for their safe evacuation and return to India. The Indian government has committed to the effort, and it has just dispatched four ministers to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, who will work with Ukrainian and neighbouring authorities to facilitate the return of Indian students.
While India’s efforts are reminiscent of Operation Raahat in Yemen, and the urgency and commitment shown by the country is commendable, other powers such as the US and China have all but given up on evacuating their citizens from Ukraine, and are openly stating as much, abdicating their responsibility to their citizens.
“The United States government will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine,” a US alert stated shortly after the invasion began. It has instructed its citizens to cross the border using commercial or privately owned transportation. On February 14th, the United States shuttered its embassy in Kyiv and relocated a small team to Lviv before migrating to Poland.
China has postponed its evacuation plan after failing to issue travel advisories to over 6000 Chinese students in Ukraine. It asked its residents leaving Kyiv to display marks of identity such as the Chinese flag on February 24th, but on February 26th, it redacted its statement and declared that the Chinese must not display signs of identification.
The UK has moved its embassy from Kyiv to Lviv, a city just 80 kilometers from the Polish border, and has said that British citizens should not expect additional consular assistance or assistance with fleeing in these circumstances.
“The British Government’s ability to give consular aid in Ukraine will be significantly harmed by Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.”
When compared to the Indian endeavor, India’s embassy in Kyiv is still operational. Indian authorities have provided phone numbers and other means of communication for stranded Indian students to communicate and coordinate with Indian officials. Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, stated on Monday that out of almost 20,000 Indian students, over 1400 have been evacuated so far, while nearly 8000 had obeyed travel advice and left the country before the invasion began. On February 15th, nine days before Russia’s military march into Ukraine, India issued its first travel alert, advising residents to leave the country.
