Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Tamil Nadu Parents Worried Over Children Pursuing Academics in Ukraine as Crisis Heightens

Chennai, Feb 22: Parents of children who are studying in Ukraine for medicine and engineering courses are worried over the heightened crisis with Russian troop movements near the Ukrainian borders.

Tamil Selvam, Teynampet, Chennai while speaking to IANS said: "My daughter Saranya is a third year student of Medicine at Kiev Medical college and I am worried over daily reports on the possibility of a Russian attack on Ukraine. While my daughter said that things are normal at Kiev and in other parts of Ukraine, we are concerned about her safety." Russian President Vladimir Putin Orders Forces to 'Maintain Peace' in Eastern Ukraine.

So is the case with people living in Coimbatore and Madurai. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Donetsk and Luhansk, provinces in Ukraine, as independent countries and this, according to international experts indicates a possibility of Russia entering into war against Ukraine.

Mukunadarajan, a businessman at Sai Baba Colony, Coimbatore, whose son Adityan is a student of Aero Space engineering at Kiev university told IANS: "I am really worried. We are contacting the Indian embassy but they are washing off their hands stating that they have already issued an advisory to return to India. However, flights are charging exorbitantly and I have asked my son to try and get into a chartered flight and come back home."

While the flight charges were anywhere between Rs 25,000 to RS 35,000 from Ukraine to Chennai the charges have now increased more than double. Several students who are doing their final year in MBBS are not in a position to travel to India as exams are being conducted and universities like Kiev Medical University are not postponing the exam dates.

Sujatha Rajagopal, a bank officer whose daughter Swapna. R is a final year MBBS student at Vinnytsia National University in Ukraine, is tense as her daughter's examinations are on and the university is not changing the dates.

While speaking to IANS, Sujatha said: "I have asked her to give a request to the university along with all her classmates and allow either online examinations or to postpone. I have asked her to come back home at the earliest no matter how expensive the flight tickets are. At least, the Government of India has increased the number of flights and the possibility of getting flight tickets now are high and my daughter will definitely come back."

Parents are coordinating among themselves and trying to arrange tickets through some travel agents. If tickets are not possible, they are contacting flight companies who provide chartered flights.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2022 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).