Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian students in Sumy board buses to safer zone

Indian students in Sumy board buses to safer zone

SEVERAL Indian students stranded in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy hoped that they would be in a safe zone soon as their evacuation process started on Tuesday (8).

"The evacuation from Sumy has started. There was finally some good news. All Indian students will be evacuated from Sumy on Tuesday itself. They will be taken to a safe location from where they will be brought to India," said Anshad Ali, a student coordinator.

A medical student at Sumy university, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed that buses have arrived and students have started boarding them.

"We have been told that we will go to Poltava. I am praying that we reach a safe zone and this misery is over," he said from Sumy.

India’s minister Hardeep Singh Puri confirmed in New Delhi that 694 Indian students, who were stranded in Sumy, left for Poltava.

"Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava," he said.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Tuesday (8) evening that flights were being prepared to bring the students home.


“Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy. They are currently en route to Poltava, from where they will board trains to western Ukraine.  Flights under #OperationGanga are being prepared to bring them home”, he tweeted.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi held discussions with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday (7) on ways to start the stalled evacuation process of the Indian students from Sumy, which is being pummelled by the invading Russian forces.

India has so far brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine while Indian students remained stuck in Sumy, with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.

"We stood in a queue for three hours in freezing cold on Monday, waiting to board the buses and then, we were told that we cannot go. Thankfully, we left Sumi on Tuesday. I am hoping that we will be in a safe zone soon," Aashiq Hussain Sarkar, another medical student, said.

Sumy has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops for days now. India had been making efforts to evacuate its citizens from the northeastern Ukrainian city, but with little success due to the heavy shelling and airstrikes.

With no electricity and water supply, ATMs running out of cash, melting snow to slake their thirst and fast running out of supplies, hundreds of Indian students trapped in Sumy stood on roads every morning, hoping that "today would be the day" when they would be rescued from the savagery of the war that has engulfed Ukraine.

The wait, however, got longer as fierce fighting blocked their way to safety across the Russian border.

Exasperated, the students posted a video clip on social media platforms on Saturday (5), saying they had decided to walk to the Russian border in biting cold amid the fighting, raising fears about their safety.

Soon after the video went viral, the Indian government asked the students not to take risks and to remain in shelters and assured them that they would be rescued soon.

More For You

starmer-getty

Starmer had already softened the proposals last week following criticism from Labour MPs who said the planned cuts to disability and sickness benefits went too far. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer makes major concessions on welfare bill to avoid defeat in Commons

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer avoided a parliamentary defeat on key welfare reforms on Tuesday, after agreeing to further concessions amid growing pressure from within the Labour Party.

Starmer had already softened the proposals last week following criticism from Labour MPs who said the planned cuts to disability and sickness benefits went too far.

Keep ReadingShow less
Visa UK

The aim is to attract graduate-level or above workers, making several low-paid roles ineligible for visas. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Government unveils stricter visa rules, to take effect from July 22

THE GOVERNMENT on Tuesday introduced the first set of tougher immigration rules in the House of Commons aimed at reducing the recruitment of foreign skilled workers, including in the care sector. The new measures are described as a “complete reset” of the UK’s immigration system.

The proposed changes, originally outlined in an ‘Immigration White Paper’ in May, include raising the skills and salary thresholds for foreign workers — including those from India — ending overseas recruitment for care worker roles, and removing more than 100 occupations, such as chefs and plasterers, from the shortage occupation list that currently allows certain visa exemptions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
food-delivery-getty

Uber Eats and Deliveroo will tighten ID checks, including facial verification, to curb illegal migrant work after UK government pressure. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Food delivery platforms to step up ID checks after migrant work abuse reports

FOOD delivery companies Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have agreed to strengthen security measures, including facial verification checks, to prevent irregular migrants from working through their platforms, following criticism from the UK government.

The announcement came after the Labour government summoned the three firms for a meeting in response to a report by The Sun which exposed how some migrants were bypassing rules and working illegally in the gig economy sector.

Keep ReadingShow less