Sumy, Ukraine

Hundreds of Indian students stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy have said that it's only getting worse every passing day. On Thursday night (March 3), students of Sumy State University witnessed an airstrike, very close to their hostel premises. 

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"People were crying, many even fainted. It's getting difficult to handle our friends," said Faisal Ansari, a fourth-year medical student. 

While speaking to WION, Mahek Shaikh, a first-year student said, "We were sitting in our rooms when we heard jets pass by. Our room lights started flickering and soon electricity and water supply went off. The entire city blacked out. We were immediately alerted to move to the bunkers." 

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"We learnt that the bomb was dropped close to our university. A few friends, who could see the university building from their window, saw the blast," the 18-year-old added. 

On Friday, as news of the fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant broke, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, "The Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe." 

He added, "Fire has already broken out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!" 

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IN PICS | This is Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuke power plant in Europe targetted by Russia

As they await evacuation, students are running low on food supply. They say grocery stores in the locality are running empty, and even if they manage to find food, payment has now become an issue.

"Supermarkets only accept cash and banks are closed, ATMs are out of money," Ansari added. 

There are about 700 students from the university waiting for evacuation. The city is located in the north-eastern region of Ukraine and is closer to the Russian border. 

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conversation with Russian President Putin, there are talks of a possible evacuation from the Russian side. But this is yet to be formally announced. 

After students of Kharkiv received an advisory from the embassy in Ukraine, those in Sumy are waiting for their turn. 

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