New Delhi: Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on his way to Romania to facilitate the evacuation of Indians stranded in war-torn Ukraine. (PTI Photo)
New Delhi, March 1 (PTI) Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday left for Romanian capital Bucharest on an Air India flight to facilitate the evacuation of Indians who are stranded in Ukraine following the Russian military offensive.
Besides Scindia, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri, Kiren Rijiju and V K SIigh have also left for Ukraine's neighbouring countries as special envoys to facilitate the evacuation of Indians from the war-hit nation.
"Geared up, along with the Air India crew to oversee rescue ops in Romania and Moldova, and ensure that we facilitate each and every Indian citizen's safe passage back home," the aviation minister said on Twitter just before the departure of his flight at 7.15 PM.
Puri is going to Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia will oversee the evacuation process in Romania and Moldova, Kiren Rijiju is traveling to Slovakia and Gen (retd) V K Singh will supervise the evacuation along the transit points with Poland.
India began the evacuation of its citizens from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania and Hungary on February 26.
Private Indian carriers have brought back 2,012 Indian nationals in nine special flights till now.
Ukrainian airspace has been shut down since February 24, when the Russian government started its military operations against the country.
In the first Indian casualty in the war in Ukraine, a student from Karnataka was killed in shelling in Kharkiv city on Tuesday morning.
