Mumbai: Indian nationals, evacuated from crisis-hit Ukraine, upon their arrival at the airport in Mumbai, Saturday, Feb 26, 2022. The first Air India flight carrying 219 Indian nationals from Ukraine landed Mumbai airport after taking off from the Romanian capital Bucharest. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
New Delhi/Mumbai, February 26 (PTI): India began the evacuation of its nationals who are leaving Ukraine after the Russian military offensive, with an Air India flight bringing back 219 people from Bucharest while one flight each from the Romanian capital and Hungarian capital Budapest are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
"Welcome back. First step of Operation Ganga," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted after Union Minister Piyush Goyal received the passengers of AI1944 that arrived in Mumbai from Bucharest at 7.50 PM on Saturday.
The airline posted a short video showing the first batch of 219 evacuees clapping with joy as the plane landed.
The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since February 24 morning when the Russian military offensive began and the Indian evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.
The other two flights - AI1942 from Bucharest and AI1940 from Budapest - are scheduled to arrive with rescued citizens in Delhi on Sunday morning, senior government officials said, adding all three flights were sent from India on Saturday.
AI1942 departed from Bucharest at 9.30 PM on Saturday and is expected to land in Delhi at around 4.30 AM on Sunday. Jaishankar said it is bringing 250 Indian nationals.
Indian nationals who reached the Ukraine-Romania border and Ukraine-Hungary border have been taken to Bucharest and Budapest by road, respectively, by Indian government officials so that they can be evacuated in these Air India flights, they said.
The government is not charging the rescued passengers for the evacuation flights, the officials said.
Around 16,000 Indians, mainly students, were stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on February 24.
The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said on Twitter on Saturday morning that Indian citizens in Ukraine should not move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with the Indian government officials at the border posts using the helpline numbers.
"The situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the Embassy is working continuously with our Embassies in our neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens," it mentioned.
The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said it is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who reach border checkpoints without prior intimation.
It said that staying in western cities of Ukraine with access to water, food, accommodation and basic amenities is relatively safer and advisable compared to reaching border checkpoints without being fully abreast of the situation.
"All those currently in the eastern sector are requested to continue to remain in their current places of residence until further instructions, maintain calm, and stay indoors or in shelters as much as possible, with whatever food, water and amenities available and remain patient," it stated.
Jaishankar said on Twitter that India is making progress regarding the evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine. "Our teams are working on the ground round the clock. I am personally monitoring," he added.
The Indian embassy in Hungary also said more batches of Indian students were entering Hungary from the Ukrainian side at Zahony crossing, travelling onward to Budapest for return to India by AI flight.
They posted pictures and videos of relieved students waving the Tricolour and shouting slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Vande Mataram'.
"Our mission is not complete till we have taken the last person to India out of Ukraine. Wishing you a very safe journey back home," Indian Ambassador to Romania Rahul Shrivastava told the Indian students on board the first evacuation flight from Bucharest just before it left for Mumbai.
"When you talk to your friends who are waiting to be evacuated, you should tell and assure them that the entire government of India team is working day and night including all officials here to evacuate everyone," the envoy said.
Prior to the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had operated a flight to Ukraine's capital Kyiv on February 22 that brought 240 people back to India.
It had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26 but could not do so as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was consequently shut down.
Air India said on Twitter on Friday night that it has deployed B787 aircraft from Delhi and Mumbai to Bucharest and Budapest on Saturday as special government chartered flights to fly back stranded Indian citizens.
The distance between Kyiv and the Romanian border checkpoint is approximately 600 km and it takes anywhere between eight-and-a-half hours to 11 hours to cover it by road.
Bucharest is located approximately 500 km from the Romanian border checkpoint and it takes anywhere between seven to nine hours by road. The distance between Kyiv and the Hungarian border checkpoint is around 820 km and it takes 12-13 hours by road.
