Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukraine’s envoy pleads for support, stressing that India should “fully assume its global role”
In the midst of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukraine’s Ambassador to India, Dr. Igor Polikha, has stated that Ukraine is requesting and calling for active support in the aftermath of these problems. He described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a totalitarian regime’s aggression against a democratically elected state. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the world’s most influential leaders and that his opinion matters.
“At the present moment, we’re asking, pleading for the support of India. In case of aggression of a totalitarian regime against a democratic state, India should fully assume its global role. Modi ji is one of the most powerful & respected leaders in the world,” the Ambassador of Ukraine to India told ANI.
Dr. Polikha said he doesn’t know who Putin might listen to, but given Modi ji’s stature, he’s hopeful that if he raises his voice, Putin will at least consider it. “We are expecting a much more favourable attitude from the Indian govt,” DrIgor Polikha said.
Ukraine’s retaliation in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion:
Meanwhile, in response to Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine has declared that it has responded with equal force. According to Ukraine’s military leadership, government forces killed “around 50 Russian occupiers” while repelling an offensive by Moscow-backed rebels on a village on the frontlines. Ukraine’s military also claimed to have wrecked four Russian tanks on a route near Kharkiv in the east.
Ukraine is under invasion from three directions: north, east, and south.
According to a Ukrainian presidential adviser, Russian forces have attacked Ukraine from the north, east, and south. The adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said “the Ukrainian military is fighting hard.”
Russia has attacked air bases and other military assets, according to another adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Special flights from India to Kyiv have been cancelled:
After Ukraine shut down airspace today, India has cancelled special flights to Kyiv, despite the Indian embassy in the country issuing helpline numbers. However, an Air India plane took off for Ukraine on Thursday morning to bring Indians back from the eastern European country, which is currently facing a Russian invasion.
The Indian government’s decision comes only hours after Ukraine announced that its airspace had been restricted to civilian planes due to a “high risk” of safety. Because of military actions, Europe’s aviation regulator has cautioned about the dangers of “flying in bordering areas of Russia and Belarus.”