Escape from Ukraine: No water for 3 days, held at gunpoint, 19-year-old Indian student makes it to safety

It has been termed the great exodus as residents of war-torn Ukraine look for a new home amid the continuing Russian invasion. This is the largest humanitarian crisis after World War II, with over 2 million people displaced. Besides Ukrainians, there were thousands of Indian students who were stranded in a country.

One among them was Arnaz Nasreen. The student from Kharkiv National Medical university was preparing for her trip back home on February 24 but was woken up to a message stating her flight was cancelled.

"I still chose to go to the airport to check the status. On my way I got the news that Russia has invaded Ukraine," said the 19-year-old. With the airport sealed off, she had nowhere to go as she had travelled from the northeastern city of Kharkiv to Kyiv, which is in the west, about 500 km away.

The situation around her was getting worse. All she could hear was bombardment. Clueless of what to do next, she called home. “I informed my sister about the situation. She contacted my consultant, who directed me to another student’s accommodation in Kyiv.” The temporary safe house did not have a bunker, so they both decided to move to a nearby hostel to take shelter. “We were trying to book a cab when we heard that a Russian tank ran over a car. So, we chose to walk," Nasreen told WION.

“On reaching the hostel, we realised it was a military base used by the Ukrainian Army. There were snipers positioned on the higher floors and through our windows we saw Russian troops being shot down.”

With constant bombing in the vicinity, they had to make sure the food they had lasted longer, as stepping out was not an option. “I didn’t have a sip of water for three days, lunch was a piece of wafer, and bun for dinner.”

The news of the Chernobyl power plant being captured led her to leave the hostel. “I thought if anything goes wrong at the power plant, nobody will survive even if we are in bunkers. I asked around if people wanted to find a way to the borders, and some of them agreed.”

“I had been vigilant for a few days I was at the hostel. I noted that at a particular time slot, there was no bombing from either side, so we decided to move out accordingly.”

They planned to take a metro till wherever it goes, and then figure out the next step. “At the station, we were being interrogated; soon I was held at gunpoint and I had to convince the Ukrainian Army about my purpose of being at the location.”

Nasreen said she had no choice but to be strong and that kept her going.

“As we tried to board the train, we were pushed out. At some point, there were people climbing over my shoulders, it was chaotic. I was struggling to get into the train, when one student pulled me in while I was almost hanging out. From there, we reached a place called Uzhhorod.”

She stressed that even if there was discrimination at the train station, the Ukrainian government made sure everybody who reached a safe zone was given enough food and water to sustain their journey.

The journey from Uzhhorod to Slovakia border was the last leg of their turbulent route to evacuation. “It was a 6km walk to the border. We heaved a sigh of relief once we reached there. Across the border, Indian embassy looked after our stay and food. Everything was smooth after crossing the border. However the fact that we made it will take some time to sink in. All along, I worked only on my instinct,” she said as she reached home safely.

Nasreen also mentioned how the journey began with a group of people, and then as they took calls for themselves, they had to unfortunately split. Even though the destination was the same, everybody took a different road to reach.

On returning, Nasreen has been in constant touch with her batchmates and friends, who have been trying to reach the borders for evacuation.

WATCH |Ukrainian refugees express frustration with UK's visa process