Emotions overflow as students reach AP

Rajamahendravaram: Three days after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the first batch of Telugu students, who were stranded in Ukraine, reached Rajamahendravaram on Sunday afternoon. Some were sent to Tirupati and a few others arrived at the Gannavaram airport in Vijayawada.

There was a big crowd of parents and relatives to receive the students. As the students came out, there were emotional scenes of parents hugging the children and some even started crying out of joy.

Talking to The Hans India, some of the students said that it was a real harrowing experience and struggle for them ever since the war broke out between Ukraine and Russia.

Challa Sudarshan and Rajanala Sushma said that their university was close to Romania and hence they could move out without much of a problem. But those in the eastern part are facing greater trouble, she said.

Sushma said that soon after the war was declared they became a little panicky. They were greatly frightened because of the heavy bombardment. Soon after the war was declared they were hard pressed to seek shelter. The university authorities had asked them to leave at the available opportunity. The university conducted online classes when there was bombing by Russia. As the war escalated the online classes were also suspended. Now their future hangs in balance as one does not know when the war would end and when the university would reopen.

However, they expressed their joy after seeing their parents at the airport.

Sudarshan said as the situation worsened, he had to take shelter in metro stations and bunkers. In some places students shifted to bunkers in colleges, he added.

Still many students are in Ukraine. He urged the Government of India to see that they too were evacuated at the earliest. He thanked the Government for the initiative taken to bring the students back home safely. He also appreciated the efforts made by the Indian Embassy in Ukraine to take them out of Ukraine.

J Ravi Prasad, whose daughter J Shivani is studying MBBS first year at Kharkiv National Medical University, said that his daughter had taken shelter in a metro station but as it got overcrowded she shifted to a bunker. He said she had told them that there was a shortage of food as well.

Another student Alokya Naga Sai is studying fourth year MBBS in Ukraine is also staying in a bunker and is awaiting evacuation. She informed her father over phone that they were undergoing mental agony for the last three days and was waiting for instructions from the Indian Embassy to evacuate.