'Don't expect much help from Ukraine Embassy in New Delhi'

With military build-up on the borders of Ukraine by Russia keeping the world on its toes, scores of Indians studying in the East European nation, as well as their parents back home, have been left a worried lot, especially with the rising tensions and airfares there.

In the last six months, only one businessman from Haryana showed interest in setting up a business unit in Ukraine, that of robotics.

However, families of Indian nationals, primarily medical students, are fed-up of making repeated calls to the Ukraine Embassy in New Delhi, as they are barely receiving any positive response.

"Yes, the situation is grave at the Embassy of Ukraine in New Delhi as people barely get any concrete answers if they call, which is very discouraging. They don't have a proper communication cell which can interact with the people, nor do they have adequate English-speaking staff," said an official associated with Ukraine's consular service, requesting anonymity.

When IANS tried to contact the Embassy of Ukraine over the alarming situation there, and the diplomatic efforts being made by the Ukraine Foreign Ministry in this regard, an official postponed the appointment by a day, without answering queries as to how many enquiries the Embassy has received from the families of Indian nationals, especially the students, who are still stranded there in Ukraine?

"There are only two categories of Indians you can find in Ukraine, students primarily pursuing medical courses, and business professionals who deal in pharma. I know many who now have shifted from Ukraine to nearby countries owing to the noncorporation of the Ukraine Embassy,' the official quoted above said.

"In a situation like this, people are approaching us for help, and not the Embassy officials as they are not cooperating, so you can understand how difficult it is for the families of Indian students who are stuck in Ukraine in such a situation, the official said.

As per the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, there are about 18,000 Indian students studying in Ukraine, mainly in the field of medicine.

Indian business professionals work predominantly in the fields of pharmaceuticals, IT, engineering, medicine, and education.

An ‘India Club' founded by Indian expats in 2001 actively engages the Indian diaspora in Ukraine and organises/supports several events, such as Diwali, cricket tournaments, Holi, dance festivals, and screening of Bollywood movies, among others