Four years on: A flashback of harrowing nights Indian students spent in Ukrainian bunkers

Remembering days spent cramped in a bunker with her batchmates, Khwaish Thapa, who was then studying at Ukraine’s Kharkiv National Medical University, says the memories still send chills down her spine. It was February 24, 2022 — the day Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. With all its military might, the Kremlin rolled tanks in its peaceful neighbourhood.

The sound of sirens and bombardment filled the air. Citizens had little or no clue of what was happening. What mighty horror was unfolding around them and how their lives would forever be changed. Among them were those who called Ukraine their ‘second home’. Students pursuing medical degrees at universities across the length and breadth of the country: Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Sumy.

For Khwaish Thapa, 19, from the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, the Ukrainian town of Kharkiv was home away from home. The Russian invasion of the country changed all that.

Just hours before she was asked to switch off her phone due to security alert, Thapa, a student in Kharkiv National Medical University, spoke to WION on how her life was transformed overnight.

“On February 23, I dropped my friend to the bus stand to board the flight back to India. I came back to my apartment. Until then it was just like any other day.”

Thapa was to board her flight back home on February 25, 2022. She was at the time taking shelter in a basement with 500 other students. Nobody around her thought events would spiral into a war-like situation before she went to bed that night.

“At 5 AM, it was my father who called from India to break the news to me. And that’s when I peeped from my window to see and hear sounds of bombardment. On checking my phone, my friends had also sent videos of what was happening around the city,” she said.

Students were cautioned by the local contractor to look for a safe place. The second year medical student chose to head to her university hostel with friends. At this point, even getting a cab was a huge deal, after waiting for nearly an hour, they managed to board a taxi to their university.

“Before going to the bunker, we tried to carry some food and water with us, but all the water tanks outside had run dry. There were long queues outside grocery stores, we took whatever was available - glucose, fruits, chocolates, wafers and readymade chapatis. Here at the college the basement, food and basics are looked after, while those who rushed to the metro stations are running out of supplies,” she added.

Arnaz Nasreen was a studying at the Kharkiv National Medical university was preparing for her trip back home on February 24, 2022, 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.

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.”

“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.”

In his social media post, Ukrainian President Zelensky wrote, “Today marks exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And that says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and the long path Ukraine has been pursuing since February 24.”

He added, “Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood; Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice. Glory to Ukraine!”