Indian student dies in shelling in Ukraine's Kharkiv, MEA in touch with family

An Indian student was killed on Tuesday in Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv amid the ongoing Russian shelling, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The MEA added that the ministry is in touch with the family of the student.

"With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family," tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Bagchi added, "Foreign Secretary is calling in Ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate our demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones. Similar action is also being undertaken by our Ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine."

A number of Indians are still stranded in Kharkiv where Russia has launched a major military offensive.

The MEA said the foreign secretary is calling in ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India's demand for "urgent safe passage" to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones.

"Similar action is also being undertaken by our ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine," the MEA said.

This comes as Russia renewed shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city. The administration building in the center of Kharkiv came under Russian shelling on Tuesday along with residential buildings, said Oleh Sinehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration as Moscow started sixth day of its invasion.

Synegubov said Russia launched GRAD and cruise missiles on Kharkiv but that the city defence was holding.

"Such attacks are genocide of the Ukrainian people, a war crime against the civilian population!" he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive against that country, sources told PTI on Tuesday.

The IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft as part of Operation Ganga from Tuesday, they said.

Till now, only private Indian carriers were evacuating Indians from Romania and Hungary, countries with land borders with Ukraine on the western side, as the Ukrainian airspace had been shut since February 24.