KOCHI: Even as evacuation of people has started through Ukraine’s western borders, many Malayali students are still stuck in shelters in war-torn Kyiv.
Speaking to TOI, Radhika Lakshmi, an MBBS student at Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv, said they have placed an Indian flag in front of their hostel building, hoping that it will act as a deterrent to attacks.
“The situation is grave. Sirens are sounded so often that we do not get enough time even to come to our rooms from the bunker to charge our phones or to get some things. Even now, I can hear blasts in the distance. Evacuation is now going on only for those at the borders. In Kyiv and Kharkiv, not even talks about evacuation have started. There are around 100 Indians in our hostel itself,” said Radhika.
She said it was difficult to stay in the bunker for long. “For a tall person, it is difficult to even stand straight in the bunker. The floor is covered with sand. Since all of us are here, it is obviously suffocating. We have food and supplies but since we don’t know how long we have to stay like this, we are rationing,” she said.
“After a point we go to the room to freshen up and soon we will hear the siren. Last night, it seemed Kyiv will be captured soon. We were given instructions not to turn the lights on, even the flashlights of our phones,” she said, adding that one blast they heard was really close to their bunker, but the rest were all in the distance.
She said she has been trying to stay in touch with her family. “We have to stay strong. There are reports about parents getting tense and falling sick. That is not going to help. We have to stay confident and get over this tough time,” she said.
