Russia-Ukraine War: 24x7 Control Centres established to assist in Operation Ganga for evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine

Several 24x7 Control Centres have been set up to assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals through the border crossing points with Poland, Romania, Hungary and the Slovak Republic, said the Ministry of External Affairs in its official statement on Sunday.

A dedicated Twitter Account named 'OpGanga' Helpline has also been set up to assist Operation Ganga. "The Control Room in the Ministry of External Affairs continues to function on 24x7 basis," said MEA.

The fourth flight has left Bucharest (Romania) for Delhi to bring back 198 stranded Indians from Ukraine safely under operation Ganga, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said on Sunday.

"Operation Ganga continues. The fourth flight has left to bring our 198 Indians from Bucharest to Delhi safely," Jaishankar said in a Tweet.

Earlier in a Tweet, the Foreign Minister said that the third flight to Delhi with 240 Indian nationals has taken off from Hungary's Budapest under Operation Ganga.

"The third flight of #OperationGanga with 240 Indian nationals has taken off from Budapest for Delhi," he said tweeted.

Amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv has advised Indian citizens against moving to any of the border checkpoints without prior coordination with government officials at border posts.

So far, a total of 469 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine, out of which 250 landed in Delhi on Sunday morning and 219 landed in Mumbai on Saturday evening.

In an advisory to Indian nationals on Saturday, the embassy stressed that the situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and it is working continuously with Embassies in the neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens.

"All Indian Citizens in Ukraine are advised to not move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with Government of India officials at the border posts and the Emergency numbers of Embassy of India, Kyiv," the advisory read.

"Embassy is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who reach border checkpoints without prior intimation," it added.

The embassy further advised Indians to stay in western cities of Ukraine where access to water, food, accommodation, and basic amenities is relatively safer.

This comes as the Russian military continues to advance in the capital city of Ukraine, according to media reports. Explosions in parts of Kyiv were heard on Friday as Russian forces approached the city, media reports said on Saturday.

Videos from eyewitnesses show explosions taking place in the Ukrainian capital city as some media reports said Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks.

(ANI)