The Indian Embassy in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was closed

The Indian Embassy in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was closed.

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its sixth day, the Indian embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been closed and all ambassadors have been relocated to the western city of Lviv. It is hoped that this will help ease the process of deporting Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine, which is becoming increasingly difficult.

According to sources, India closed its embassy in Gaya on Tuesday morning after the foreign ministry asked all remaining Indian nationals to leave the capital "urgently".

Advisory to Indians in Kyiv

All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available.

— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 1, 2022

A new location for setting up the new mission has already been identified and some Indian ambassadors have taken the road to reach Lviv, sources said.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the government had now "made it a priority" to expel students stranded in Kharkiv. The Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft will depart for Romania on Wednesday, while 26 commercial aircraft will be deployed from neighboring countries over the next 2-3 days.

As the war intensified, many Indian students continued to be stranded in fighting areas such as Kharkiv and Sumy.

The foreign secretary said 12,000 Indian citizens have now fled Ukraine since the war began, making up 40 percent of the total population living there.