From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Ukraine crisis is worsening. The Indian embassy there on Tuesday advised the Indians, specially the students, to leave it temporarily and asked the Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine.
The advisory came in the wake of the looming threat of a possible Russian invasion. The Indian mission in Kyiv has asked Indians, particularly students whose stay is not essential, to leave Ukraine temporarily in view of uncertainties of the current situation.
“Indian nationals are requested to keep the Embassy informed about the status of their presence in Ukraine to enable the Embassy to reach them where required. The Embassy continues to function normally to provide all services to Indian nationals in Ukraine,” it further stated.
On January 26, the Indian embassy in Kyiv had asked its citizens residing in Ukraine to register themselves in a bid to disseminate information in a swift manner.
The United States said Monday it will close its embassy in Ukraine and move all remaining staffers there to a city near the Polish border as invasion fears intensify. It also repeated warnings to private American citizens in Ukraine to leave immediately.
NYT REPORT: With Russian warships massing off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast and the U.S. warning of an imminent invasion, Ukraine’s president hinted at a major concession, suggesting that his country might have to abandon the possibility of joining NATO.
“Maybe the question of open doors is for us like a dream,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
The comment came just as Russia’s top diplomat said that the possibilities to reach a diplomatic resolution to the crisis were “far from exhausted.” Western officials have expressed fears that the window for diplomacy may be closing after a phone call between President Biden and President Vladimir Putin of Russia over the weekend resulted in “no fundamental change in the dynamic,” according to the White House.
Military moves: Russian and Belarusian fighter jets held large-scale joint military exercises, including in airspace near Ukraine, fueling further concerns of an attack. This map shows the estimated 130,000 Russian troops, in addition to tanks and heavy artillery, that are moving into positions. Videos, satellite images and social media posts reveal the scale and intensity of the deployments.
Closer look: The New York Times correspondent traveled along the Dnieper River to explore what it means to be Ukrainian at this moment of peril. A people long divided by disputes has begun to stitch together a sense of common purpose in the face of a menacing foe.