Russia-Ukraine War: Indian students allege atrocities by soldiers at Poland border, say 'they are being pushed back'

The situation in Ukraine is escalating further as the Russian troops enter the major cities. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have rushed to the borders as invading Russian troops pressed on with their march toward Ukraine's capital of Kyiv.

At least 1,50,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighbouring countries in the wake of the Russian invasion, the U.N. refugee agency said Saturday.

Although the Indian government is making efforts to evacuate the stranded Indians in Ukraine from neighbouring Poland and Hungary, video and photos have emerged with dozens of students alleging that they are being pushed back into Ukraine by the soldiers as they wait near the Poland border.

Students have also alleged that the police and the army near the border fired shots in the air to scare the students away.

In a post uploaded on social media platform, students have alleged that they were beaten up and were being tortured with guns and tasers.

The post further mentions that the students are turning back to Lviv as there has been information of safety camps being set up by the Indian embassy.

The post further says that the students here have not been provided with any kind of essential supplies. Some students are even suffering from medical conditions in these extreme weather conditions.

"My younger brother and Indian medical students are stranded on the border of Ukraine and Poland since last night. We are not able to enter Poland. @IndiainUkraine Please help. Make arrangements for their stay, food and safe evacuation," a student's brother posted the video on Twitter requesting the help of the Indian government for stranded students.

Hundreds of students, mostly from the cities of Lviv and Ternopil in Ukraine, took taxis and buses, hitchhiked, or walked to reach Shehyni-Medyka border after the Indian Embassy in Warsaw issued an advisory asking those who wished to be evacuated to reach there. As per the students, braving the freezing cold, they had not been allowed to cross the border by Polish authorities.

The Embassy of India in Kyiv and the Indian government has announced that the evacuation process is underway with the joint effort of the Indian embassies in Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

Yesterday Air India flight carrying the first batch of 219 Indians (mostly students) landed at the Mumbai airport.

On February 27, Air India's two evacuation flights, one from the Romanian capital Bucharest and another from Hungarian capital Budapest, carrying 490 Indian nationals landed at the Delhi airport.

Ukraine closed its airspace, and many Indians stranded there could not get a flight back home. There are approximately 18,000 Indians present in Ukraine with most of them being medical students. Many have sought shelter in the underground bunkers to stay safe as Russia is carrying out bombing raids across the country.