Pradeep, father of a student stranded in Sumy, Ukraine, got a call from his daughter Shreya Pradeep that she and other trapped students could not leave to the borders as no transportation was available. Pradeep was hoping that his daughter and other students may be airlifted on Saturday, but his wait to meet his daughter has not ended amidst the growing anxiety.
“My daughter called me to tell me they are not moving out today as there is no transportation arranged for them to reach the Russian border. She said somebody told the students that buses are positioned at the border for their transit but transportation from Sumy to the border is unavailable. They were told not to lose hope and wait a day or two as efforts are on to get them safely evacuated,” said Pradeep, a resident of Betolli village in Virajpet.
The students had prepared to proceed to the border by foot since they had a tough time since the war began and were facing a serious crisis of food and water. Power outage has added to their woes amid heightened shelling, he said.
“Shreya said the students, despite shelling all around, had made up their mind to leave Sumy and walk to the border. They seem to have dropped the plan after the authorities’ appeal,” the father of two added.
Pradeep said, “I have no option but to wait for her arrival as we are in a helpless situation.”
Arjun Vasanth’s mother Indiramma and brother Raghavendra said Arjun has not reached the border. “So far, there’s no word about their evacuation. He called us to say the students have been told to be ready but they haven’t been told when they will be safely moved out from Sumy,” said Raghavendra.
Arjun Vasanth from Shanivarasanthe is among a large number of students stranded in Sumy in eastern Ukraine close to the Russian border.
“Sumy is not among the cities where a ceasefire has been declared. Don’t know what’s actually happening there and why it is taking so much time for their airlift,” wondered the worried brother.
