Ukraine crisis: Chilling images of devastation in Sumy, from where Indian nationals were evacuated

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate. India opted to not take any stance or support any side in this war-like situation, however, the mammoth task for the Indian government was to evacuate its citizens. 

To create a safe return, the Indian government announced 'Operation Ganga' to bring back the Indian nationals with ramped up efforts. As per officials, India has brought back nearly 20,000 stranded citizens from the war-torn country. 

But the situation in Sumy emerged to be critical, witnessing heavy shelling and intense exchange of fire between Russians and Ukrainian forces.

But, on Tuesday (March 8), more than 650 Indian students were evacuated from the Ukrainian city of Sumy. 

It has been understood that being a hub of educational institutions, Sumy students people from across the world. Ever since the war broke out, it has become a theatre of intense battle. 

Stuck in the quagmire, Indians and other international students had made several desperate pleas for evacuation via social media but the Indian mission and its teams on the ground were helpless as there was no safe passage in the war zone. 

Even at one stage supply of food and water became a difficult task. Moreover, both Russia and Ukraine failed to honour the ceasefire and bombings in and around the city continued unabated. An official familiar with developments told ANI, "It was a complicated and dangerous situation." 

The first attempt to evacuate students on March 7 failed, despite ceasefire and planning. Safe passage for students could not be secured as there was shelling and a lot of risks were involved, an official told ANI. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to both Russian President Vladamir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to get assurance over the safe evacuation of students. 

But the situation in Sumy was tense. The extent of devastation can be seen by looking at the aftermath of shelling in the Sumy region by Russian forces. 

For example, in this image, debris and houses destroyed by shelling can be seen in the picture obtained from social media. 

This is an image of a charred Russian tank in the Sumy region, Ukraine. The picture was taken on March 7, 2022. 

In this image, a house damaged by shelling is seen in Sumy, Ukraine March 8, 2022. The image is obtained from social media. 

In this photo, buses wait during evacuations out of Sumy on March 8.

This still image obtained from handout video by Deputy Head for President's Office.