Potentially dangerous situations to be expected: Ministry of Defence to Students in Ukraine

Ministry of Defence has issued an advisory to the Indian students stranded in various parts of Ukraine, especially in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

The Ministry has warned difficult situation ahead due to aerial raids, attacks by aircraft/drones, missile attacks, artillery shelling, small arms/gunfire, grenade explosions, molotov cocktails (including by local people/militia), building collapse, falling debris among others.

Hundreds of students are reported to be in hiding at various places in the Kharkiv and Kiyv and the government of India is trying to rescue them.

The Ministry has suggested the following ground rules to the students –

Compile and Share Information with your fellow Indians

Remain mentally strong/Do not panic

Organise yourselves in small groups/squads of ten Indian students/within that organise buddy/pair system/nominate a coordinator and a deputy coordinator in each group of ten persons

Your presence and whereabouts must always be known to your buddy /small group coordinator

Make a WhatsApp group, Compile details, names, address, mobile numbers and contact in India/Share geolocation on WhatsApp with Control Room(s) in Embassy or in New Delhi/Update information every 08 hours/Keep frequent head count (every 08 hours)/Group/Squad coordinators to report their location to Control Rooms/Helpline Numbers

Only Coordinator/Deputy coordinator should communicate with local authorities/Embassy/Control Rooms in India to conserve phone batteries