'Colleges threatened us to slap fine if we chose to fly out of Ukraine early'

It could be a tumbler falling off the table, but that’s enough to send a chill down their spine.

Life has taken a horrid turn for the Indian student community in the war-hit Ukraine. With the situation getting worsened every hour and little help coming from officials, stranded students have no clue when they can return to their homes back in India.

Sharing the basement with other people and pets, the students huddle up to share their ordeals and fears. They shudder and hug each other whenever they hear a sound.

“Sometimes, it could be a tiny sound like a tumbler slipping off, but such is the situation that we are terrified,” said a student, speaking to The Federal from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Also read: Journey of Volodymyr Zelenskyy: From stand-up comedy stage to battle front

“Since Thursday morning, we have been calling the Indian embassy and the helpline numbers. But we could not connect with them at all. Then on Friday morning, we managed to connect. We heaved a sigh of relief but it did not last long. The Embassy told us they cannot help us till the situation becomes normal,” said Priyadharshini, a student from Tamil Nadu.

Had there been no war break-out on February 24, Priyadharshini and some of her friends would have boarded a flight from Kyiv and would be in India by this week. For, they had already spent Rs 60,000 and booked the earliest affordable flight to India a few days ago. But then all the plans went kaput when Russia decided on an all-out attack.

It’s a harrowing time as multiple challenges are being thrown at these final-year medical students: they had to remain strong not just to survive but also to make their parents feel comfortable back at home. Whenever time permits and network is available, they are busy completing their daily assignments.

Luckily, the girls had managed to refill their grocery and food provisions  – it would last at least a week – on Thursday after waiting for three hours at a local supermarket.

Have they tried to flee and board a flight from elsewhere in Europe? A student says, they did, but in vain.

The girls had attempted to hire a cab to travel to the border district – about 15 hours away – where evacuation takes place. None of the travel agencies was willing to take risks with all vehicular transport off the roads.

“Also, both the university and embassy have asked us to stay back at the buildings where we are staying currently till the help arrives and not to take a risk by stepping out. That was the only instruction given to us and we are following it blindly,” another student told The Federal.

Also read: Big Oil already a victor from Ukraine

“More than 200 students are staying in the basement. Forget lying down, we don’t even have space to stretch our legs. Every part of the body is aching. If we get up, the space would be occupied by someone else. It’s tough to find a vacant spot again,” said Gautham, studying at a university in Kharkiv.

The students are left to fend for themselves as the university had refused to provide them with any help. Even the availability of water is little.

“The last information that we got (on Thursday) was that the university had decided to conduct online classes. After that, they just became unreachable. As it is not advisable for students to go as a group to supermarkets, some decided to venture out and purchased whatever they could. But it has not been sufficient at all. We even don’t have enough water in stock,” he added, saying they have no idea how they would survive in the next few days.

Did any Embassy official offer help? Gautam said, “An official said assistance would be provided if they could reach the border district which is 20 hours away from Western borders. It’s impossible for us to reach there without crossing the capital city.”

Gautham said they could not have flown to India earlier when there were signs of the war breaking out.

“We chose to stay back only because the university had insisted us to attend offline class. They even threatened to impose a fine for every class that we miss. Plus, we have to repeat the semester if our attendance is low. We didn’t want to take that risk as our parents are struggling hard to make us study here,” said Gautham, also from Tamil Nadu.

There were many students, like Alagulakshmi, who were ready to take the risk and fly back home. Alagulakshmi’s parents booked a flight ticket (Rs 53,000) at the earliest available.

“The situation was very scary on Thursday but it became better on Friday. Although I stay in a private apartment, the college management asked me and other students to take shelter in the basements of our college hostel. We have been staying there for the last two days. Whenever possible, we visit our rooms and return to safety,” said Alagulakshmi.

However, in districts like Ternopil close to the border, evacuation has started. Nirdesh Dosi (from Rajasthan) and his friends had managed to rent a bus with the help of locals for an affordable price.

As per official reports, about 470 students exited Ukraine and entered Romania through the Porubne-Siret border and efforts are on to evacuate more students from the country.

Many agents have been demanding hefty amounts from desperate students, said another student, who recently returned to India and has been helping his friends in Ukraine in translating the government announcements and sharing helpful numbers.

According to him, a travel agent had demanded $50 – ten times the normal expense – to take a student from Lviv to the Hungarian border and then to Budapest. The agent had also offered to provide accommodation and food.

As per official estimates, at least 18,000 students are in Ukraine. So what makes Ukraine a preferred choice?

As per an agent, students have to spend at least Rs 1 crore to study medicine at private colleges in India, but in a college in Ukraine, it comes to just 35 lakh maximum (all expenses covered).

Catch our Live updates of the unfolding crisis in Ukraine here.