Stranded Indians in Ukraine to get 'Emergency Certificates' from MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs issued a notification on Wednesday stating that all Indians who are stranded in Ukraine and have lost their passports will be issued an emergency certificate to help get back their identity and come back to India. 

While addressing a media brief, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "A mechanism for issuing emergency certificates to those who lost their Indian passports has been instituted. I think this will also help many Indian students."

Also Read | Another Indian student passes away in Ukraine due to natural causes amid Russian invasion

He also said that the cities of eastern Ukraine remain a cause of concern since students were not able to board trains in Kharkiv. He said, "We’ve been in communication with the Russian side regarding the safe passage of our nationals from Kharkiv and other cities."

A mechanism for issuing emergency certificates to those who lost their Indian passports has been instituted. I think this will also help many Indian students: Arindam Bagchi, MEA Spokesperson #RussianUkrainianCrisis pic.twitter.com/LS0dabz6f8

— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2022

He further added, "We now estimate that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine borders since our advisories were issued."

Reportedly, in the last 24 hours, 6 flights have landed in India making it a total of 15 flights to land from Ukraine. The total number of Indians that have returned to India as of now is 3,352.

He also said, "We are exploring options to reach eastern Ukraine to assist the evacuation of citizens who are stuck there. We are seeing if our teams can reach there, it’s not easy because the route is not open all the time."