LIVE: PM Modi speaks to President Putin, discusses safe passage for Indians

Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all Indian nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately on the basis of information from the Russian side

10:53 PM

PM Modi and President Putin discussed safe evacuation of Indian nationals from conflict areas in Ukraine

PM Modi and President Putin discussed safe evacuation of Indian nationals from conflict areas in Ukraine: Official statement

10:53 PM

PM Modi and President Putin reviewed situation in Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv

PM Modi and President Putin reviewed situation in Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck: Official statement

10:42 PM

UN General Assembly adopts resolution that strongly deplored Russia's aggression against Ukraine

The 193-member UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution that strongly deplored Russia's aggression against Ukraine, days after a similar resolution was vetoed by Russia in the Security Council on the escalating crisis between Moscow and Kyiv. The General Assembly on Wednesday voted to reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and "deplores in the strongest terms Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

 

Nearly 100 UN Member States co-sponsored the resolution titled Aggression Against Ukraine', including Afghanistan, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. The resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, five Member States voting against and 35 abstentions. The General Assembly broke into an applause as the resolution was adopted.

 

The UNGA resolution was similar to the one circulated in the 15-nation Security Council last Friday. The UNSC resolution, which received 11 votes in favour and three abstentions, was blocked after permanent member Russia exercised its veto. Following the failure of the Council to adopt the resolution, the Security Council voted on Sunday again to convene a rare "emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on the crisis.

10:30 PM

A total of 3,500 students will leave for India from Bucharest: Jyotiraditya Scindia

10:23 PM

LIVE: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday night on the Ukraine crisis as India stepped up its efforts to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, from the country under attack from Russia.
 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal besides senior officials attended the meeting.
 

Modi has held a series of meetings since Sunday to spearhead India's efforts to safely bring back its nationals, asserting that this is his government's top priority.

Earlier in the day, the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all Indian nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately to safe zones or further westwards.

The external affairs ministry has assured that every Indian citizen will be brought back from Ukraine.

10:22 PM

PM Modi speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discuss safe evacuation of Indians

10:21 PM

PM Modi speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

PM Modi speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

10:17 PM

Why were students not brought back earlier from war-hit Ukraine: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wondered why were students not brought back earlier from war-torn Ukraine and said it is the Centre's responsibility to evacuate Indians stranded in the east European country.

 

She also said the central government should realise that humanity is more important than politics and urged it to take a lead role in peace talks.

 

"It is the Union government's responsibility to bring back Indians stuck in war-hit Ukraine. I don't want to criticise the government on matters of external affairs. But sometimes I have seen that we are lagging behind on matters of external affairs because of some coordination gap and political businesses.

 

"Our students are stuck there, and somebody died. Some are staying in bunkers, and some are in Romania, a neighbour of Ukraine," Banerjee said.

9:54 PM

Oil soars past $110/bbl on growing Russian supply disruptions

Oil prices surged beyond $110 per barrel on Wednesday as traders scrambled to seek alternative oil sources due to supply disruptions after sanctions on Russian banks amid the intensifying Ukraine conflict, while U.S. crude inventories fell unexpectedly, underscoring the already tight market.

 

Brent crude futures hit their highest since June 2014 at $113.94 a barrel, before easing to $109.85 by 10:46 a.m. EST (1546 GMT), up $4.88, or 4.7%.

 

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped more than $9 to $112.51 a barrel, hitting the highest since May 2011 before losing some steam to trade up $4.55, or 4.4%, at $107.96.

 

9:46 PM

IAF's C-17 Globemaster reaches Rzeszow Airport in Poland

9:41 PM

At border, Ukrainian soldiers treated them like 'puppets', says student who returned to MP

An Indian woman student who returned home in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Wednesday claimed that Ukrainian soldiers bullied them at the Polish border and treated them like "puppets."

 

The woman, who was enrolled in the MBBS course at Ternopil National Medical University in Ukraine, said fifty or sixty of them hired a bus from Ternopil on February 26 to reach the Poland border as Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine. "But due to heavy traffic jams and chaos on the way, we were asked to get down 45 km from the border. We walked to the border in the chilling cold but Ukrainian soldiers didn't give us permission to cross," she said. Ukrainian soldiers were using us as puppets, sometimes asking us to stand, sometimes to sit. They also asked us to clap and laugh," said the woman who did not want to be identified.

 

Eventually, women students were allowed to enter Poland on priority, she said. She reached India by an evacuation flight operated by the Indian government under Operation Ganga. Another woman medical student, who too returned to India from Ukraine through Poland, said, The Indian government had issued an advisory asking us to return home due to the possibility of war. But important courses were going on, and we could not leave without the university's permission. According to local officials, six medical students returned to Indore from Ukraine on Wednesday. They were residents of Indore, Ujjain and Jhabua. Some of them got emotional after meeting family members at the airport. Indore MP Shankar Lalwani and Ujjain MP Anil Firojiya received them.

9:34 PM

Students in Ukraine, parents back home panic as India asks its citizens to leave Kharkiv immediately

The advisory by India asking its citizens to immediately leave war-torn Ukraine's Kharkiv city panicked the stranded Indian students while their parents back home got glued to the TV and surfed the Internet frantically for updates. The embassy has asked Indians to proceed to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km) even by foot if they cannot find vehicles or buses.

 

Reyham Khan, a first-year medical student said, "We have received an advisory today to leave immediately... there is so much chaos.

 

"People have started walking, but to where? We were staying in bunkers sending SOS messages. But this sudden directive has left everyone in a panic," the student said over the phone.

 

Aanchal Sharma, the mother of a second-year medical student of Kharkiv National Medical University, is praying for her son's safety who has left the bombed-out city. "My son has left for Pisochyn but I am going to be on pins till I hear from him. This feels like sitting on a ticking bomb," said the anxious mother.

9:30 PM

Bitcoin now has higher market cap than Russian currency

As Russia intensifies its battle to take control of Ukraine, Bitcoin on Wednesday soared to $44,000, pushing the total cryptocurrency market cap to cross $2 trillion. With the recent gains, Bitcoin now has a higher market cap than the rapidly-declining Russian currency ruble. Bitcoin has a market cap of approximately $835 billion while the ruble has a market cap of around $626 billion.

 

The crypto market was last at $2 trillion in August 2021.

 

In the last week since the Russia-Ukraine war started, Bitcoin has jumped nearly 14 per cent and ethereum 12 per cent, according to CoinGecko data.

9:16 PM

Cities in eastern Ukraine remain areas of concern: MEA on stranded Indians

As India steps up efforts to evacuate its citizens from war-hit Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that efforts are on to reach cities in the eastern part of that country, though it is not easy. The eastern part of Ukraine has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

 

The comments by MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came hours after the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all Indians in Kharkiv to leave the city immediately for three safe zones. He said nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine's borders since advisories were issued over a fortnight back. Bagchi said 15 flights are scheduled over the next 24 hours and some of them are already operating.

 

"The cities in eastern remain areas of concern for us. Some students were able to board trains out of Kharkiv yesterday night and this morning and we assisted in the process through the student contractors and other partners," Bagchi said.

9:10 PM

Bombs and shells damaged residential areas of Horlivka and Yasinuvata of Donetsk region in Ukraine