Bunkered down, low on supplies: Keralites

Keralaite students based in Ukraine revealed that they have been asked to move underground as war rages in the country. They added that they had limited supplies and may run out soon.

“We were asked by the authorities to move to the bunkers in the university hostel. We have only limited storage of food and water with us. Network coverage may be lost anytime,” a visibly anxious Arundhathi – a medical student from Kerala - told a local television channel from Ukraine capital Kyiv. Ukraine has been facing a Russian military assault since February 24.

In her video call, the ordeal they were going through was very much visible as over 60 students could be seen sitting jam-packed on the floor holding their backpacks and essential articles in the congested bunker, where there was only very dim light. Arundhati added that explosions could be heard frequently in the wee hours and they were all concerned about their safety.

Ashra, another student studying in a university in the central Ukraine said she and other Indian students were very worried as they had no clear guidance on what they should do and where they should stay. “There are 200-300 students from Kerala in our campus.

We are not getting any clear guidance on what to do. Initially, we were asked to move to the bunker, but when we packed our bags and reached there, our university head asked to go back to our hostel room. So we came back,” she said, adding that there had been no attack in their region so far. – PTI