Russia open for Indian students who left Ukraine: Envoy Avdeev
Russian envoy to India, Oleg Avdeev, on Thursday said that Indian students who fled Ukraine due to the war can continue their studies in Russia if they wish. He added that the language barrier won't be an issue as people in Ukraine also spoke Russian. Avdeev's statement comes nearly nine months after around 16,000 students were evacuated from the war-torn country under 'Operation Ganga.'
Why does this story matter?
A territorial dispute that shaped into a war between Russia and Ukraine in February this year forced thousands to leave Ukraine. India, besides evacuating its citizens from Ukraine amid the war, also brought back nearly 16,000 students who were studying in different medical colleges in the country. The evacuation program was named "Operation Ganga" by the government of India.
'Indian students are most welcome in Russia'
Avdeev, Consul General of Russia in Chennai as per ANI said, "Indian students who left Ukraine can continue their education in Russia as the medical syllabus is almost the same [as Ukraine]." He said that the students know the language of the people "as in Ukraine, most of them spoke Russian. They're most welcome in Russia."
Evacuated students see a bleak future
A large number of students who were pursuing medical courses, especially MBBS in Ukraine, have been calling on the government to accommodate them in Indian colleges so that they can continue their studies. To press their demand, students protested at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital Delhi in July this year, seeking admission to Indian colleges "to secure their future."
Envoy's statement possible outcome of external minister's meet
The envoy's offer comes days after India's foreign affairs minister S Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. The talks were held on "a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest." "India's relationship with Russia has worked to its advantage and New Delhi would like to keep that going," Jaishankar said, as per Hindustan Times.
Ukraine looks far from peace
In October, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, amid heightened escalation between Russia and Ukraine again issued an advisory asking its citizens "to leave the war-torn country immediately by available means." The advisory from the Indian Embassy has made the return of Indian students to Ukraine unlikely as they have been away from colleges for the last nine months.
