Ukraine-Russia crisis leaves parents of students from Bihar worried

Gaya (Bihar) [India], February 19 (ANI): With tensions rising between Ukraine and Russia each passing day, parents of several medical students from Bihar's Gaya who are studying in Ukraine appear worried about the safety of their children.
The parents are constantly keeping in touch with their children who are studying in different medical universities in Ukraine.
Manoj Kumar, a resident of Rajapur village of Bodh Gaya, told ANI that his daughter Swati Priya and son Shubham Kumar are currently in Ukraine. "However, my children have told that at present, the situation is completely normal here. But, as parents, we are still concerned about their safety."

On the other hand, Ramswaroop Yadav, a resident of Sonu Bigha area, said, "My son Akash Kumar is also studying MBBS in Kharkiv National Medical University in Ukraine. We are monitoring the status of the dispute between Ukraine and Russia. We are worried about their safety."
"If the situation becomes more tense, we will try to call the son home. It takes about eight hours to reach the Medical University from the Kiev Airport in the capital of Ukraine. At the same time, children travel from Kiev to Delhi via Dubai. There is no direct flight at the moment," he added.
S Kumari, who is a mother of two students studying at Kharkiv National Medical University, said, "My family lives in Rajapur village. Two of my kids are studying there (Ukraine). Though are in touch with our children, we are concerned about their safety. Our children are safe in Ukraine as of now."
"We are constantly in touch with the Indian Embassy in Ukraine. We request the government to safely repatriate them to India," she said.
Tensions over Ukraine have increased in recent months as Russia and NATO are accusing each other of amassing troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border. The United States and Ukraine accuse Russia of preparing to invade the country. Meanwhile, Moscow denies the claims and maintains that it has no intention of attacking any country.
The conflict in Donbas between Ukraine's government and the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics has been going on since 2014. The Minsk Agreements, designed to find a political resolution to the conflict, were negotiated by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine -- the Normandy group -- in February 2015. However, the agreement has so far not been observed and sporadic clashes continue.
Earlier, India called for immediate de-escalation of Russia-Ukraine border tensions. Tirumurti said the Russia-Ukraine military tensions can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has removed the restriction on the number of flights that can be operated between India and Ukraine under the bilateral air bubble arrangement to facilitate the travel of Indians from the eastern European country.
On February 15, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine asked its citizens to leave Kiev temporarily amid the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine. In an advisory, India also requested its nationals to keep the Embassy informed about the status of their presence to enable it to reach them where required. (ANI)