Russia is ‘actively’ considering providing humanitarian corridor to Indians staying in the eastern city of Kharkiv which has a significant number of Indian students and professionals.
In his first press conference since taking charge as the new Ambassador of Russia, Denis Alipov appreciated India’s position at the Security Council and said Moscow will investigate the death of the Indian medical student in Kharkiv.
"We are actively considering providing humanitarian corridor so that they can be evacuated through the Russian territory," said Ambassador Alipov.
The Russian envoy condoled the death of Naveen S G who was killed on Tuesday while standing outside a supermarket. He assured an investigation would be carried out to find the exact circumstances of the student’s death.
Mr. Alipov was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday following the death of the student who hailed from Karnataka.
India has rushed a team of officials from Moscow to the Russian city of Belgorod which is located near the Ukrainian border. India has officials stationed in Belgorod but they are unable to reach out to its nationals in Kharkiv because of Russian bombing.
The Ambassador’s assurance on the humanitarian corridor comes amidst reports that Kharkiv, which is the second largest city of Ukraine, has come under control of the Russian forces. It is understood that India will evacuate its citizens if the ongoing fighting is paused for a while.
The Ambassador also appreciated India’s position at the Security Council where it has abstained in a resolution on the ongoing conflict.
“We are thankful to India for its balanced position. India understands the depth of the current crisis and its complexity. We hope India will continue with this balanced approach,” said Mr. Alipov.
Ambassador Alipov also assured India that the western sanctions will not affect Russia’s willingness and ability to carry out trade with India.
“From our side nothing has changed. We have bilateral mechanisms to carry out trade. It actually depends on our Indian friends some of whom are over cautious about the exposure [to sanctions]. We are open to do business with India,” said Mr. Alipov.
The envoy also assured that there would be no disruption in Russia’s military supplies to India saying “The S400 deal will not be impacted. Hundred percent assurance on that.”
Explaning the impact of the sanctions, Mr. Alipov indicated that the Russian economy doing well despite the sanctions. “Our economy is stable and we will withstand the pressure that we are experiencing and will experience in the future.”
He argued that Russia is not using banned weapons on the Ukrainian front and assured that the bombings are taking place after giving out warnings to ensure that civilians are not harmed during the ongoing military campaign.
