I have been in Ukraine for almost two decades. The people of the country who have given me love and respect for a long time, if I leave that country for the first time today, I will be small to myself and to them. Other than that, I have some responsibilities as a teacher and a doctor. It is from that responsibility to extend a helping hand to the students.
The war was supposed to have taken place on 18th February. The news came from American intelligence that war was imminent. The news was published in all the media in Ukraine. I immediately told my acquaintances to return to the country as soon as possible. The intelligence agencies here also hinted that there might be a war. Even then the 'evacuation' did not start. That's when the price of a plane ticket skyrocketed. Return tickets to the country are selling at around seventy-eight thousand. Then some students said to me— “Grandpa, now it is very expensive. The 24 dates look like 24 thousand. That's when I was buying the ticket. ” I told them, "OK." Even then I could not have guessed that the situation would become so fast, so terrible.
Then on the 24th of February at midnight, I got a call. The call was made by some students at Ternopil National Medical University. They said they were not allowed to enter Kyiv airport. Tonak nare Amar. Let's start researching. And I say to those students: "You take a hostel in Kyiv." Then another call came at four in the morning. I came to know that an Indian student admitted on a bus is not being allowed to enter the city of Kyiv. They are stuck in the previous city of Kyiv. Shortly after that, at around 5 in the morning, I got the news from the intelligence office here that the war has started. They just said ... ‘War!’ According to the investigation, there was some shelling from the Belarus border in the Kyiv airport area. So all of a sudden that security.
Of course, I wasn't quite ready for that. On the 21st I bought some rice, pulses, potatoes, onions, oil, and salt. So that we can help the students in Kyiv. Other than that, I warned everyone to get at least two weeks' worth of food.
When the war started on 24th February, I started arranging for the students to reach the border. The Ukrainian bus drivers helped us with their lives, even though they were scared. Students are being sent to the border in three ways. By bus, the Romanian border is only 30-40 kilometers away from Chernivtsi. Or they can take a bus to Lviv, which is close to the Polish border. Or they will go from Uzgoro to a town called Chop, from there to Johannesburg. Nearby is the Hungarian border. Apart from this, I am taking some students to Kyiv railway station and taking them by train. For now, all those who asked me for help have reached the border safely. The number is more than 350 people. More than 150 of them are Indian students. At least 50 Bengalis.
I still get phone calls asking for help. There are still multiple pads, including Indians, stuck in different cities. I told them to wait. Only if the Ukrainian government takes any further action. Because of this, airstrikes can happen at any time. Chechen militants could attack. In this case, you need to take action. Western cities are still perfectly safe. Although there is a dire lack of accommodation. About 10 million Ukrainians have fled the country, although their media reports put the number in the millions. All these countrymen have crowded or crossed the western cities. As a result, there is a huge crowd now. That being said, cities in the West are still relatively safe.
The situation in Kyiv is exactly the same as it was during the war. Silent all around. There are absolutely no ordinary people on the streets. The armed forces are roaming the streets. Curfew is in force from 5 pm to 8 am. In addition, if you need to go out during the day, there is no rule to go far away from the place around your residence. If you want to go, you have to show a good reason. And there is no question of going to another city. Crisis across the city. No petrol, no adequate supply of medicines. Ukrainians love to eat bread, but not enough. Longline in front of the grocery store. There is also a financial problem due to the lack of money in ATMs. Even if you have dollars, you can't do anything with it, because you won't get the right price. However, recently some shops here have made an arrangement that if there is money in the bank account, the shop will pay cash if it is transferred to the shop account through the card. As a result, the city dwellers are getting a little help. In fact, everyone here is helping everyone. Every Ukrainian is now a soldier of the country.
There is anxiety about myself. But the sense of responsibility overwhelmed everything. I talk to my parents, they are worried. Forbid them to worry. I say I'll take care of it. The country I have been in for so long does not want to leave the country in danger.
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