Amid the rising tension between Russia and NATO, India advised its nationals in the eastern European nation to leave the country. In an advisory, the Indian embassy in Kyiv has asked Indian nationals, particularly students, to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine. Issuing a statement, it said, "In view of the uncertainties of the current situation in Ukraine, Indian nationals in Ukraine, particularly students whose stay is not essential, may consider leaving temporarily," adding, "Indian nationals are also advised to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine.” The embassy also asked Indian nationals to keep it informed about their status in that country to enable the mission to reach out to them when required.
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What is happening in Ukraine?
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine is reminiscent of the Cold War, according to various reports. Russia has placed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border and ratcheted up war games in the region.
Moscow denies it is planning an assault, but the US and its NATO allies fear that Russia is planning for war — and are making preparations of their own.
Russia’s stance has stoked fears in Kyiv and the West around Kremlin’s possibility to start a war with its former province, that broke away from Moscow’s political orbit. However, Russia denies that it has any plans to start a war. According to Al Jazeera, Moscow has stated that it could move Russian troops wherever it wanted and Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have warned NATO against expanding eastwards.
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Russia and Ukraine have shared a political and linguistic division for years now. Although Russia claims that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people”, Ukraine has denied the claims.
In 2005 and 2014, Ukraine went through two revolutions, both times rejecting Russia’s supremacy and seeking a path to join the European Union and NATO.
Russia, which denies any plan to invade Ukraine, already controls the Crimea territory seized in 2014 and supports separatist forces controlling the Donbas region in the east.
What do Ukrainian leaders say?
Ukrainian officials have sought to calm nerves as tensions escalate.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday that while the concentration of Russian troops near Ukraine poses a threat, “their number is now insufficient for a large-scale offensive.”
“They are still missing some key military elements and systems to mount a big, full-scale offensive,” Kuleba told reporters.
He also noted that causing alarm could be an end in itself. Russia, he said, hopes to destabilize Ukraine by “spreading panic, raising pressure on Ukraine’s financial system and launching cyberattacks.”
Other countries requesting their nationals to leave
In the last few days, many countries have requested their nationals to leave Ukraine and are cutting back their diplomatic staff.
Among the countries that have called on their nationals to leave Ukraine are the United States, Germany, Italy, Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Australia, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
(with inputs from agencies)
