Students from Kashmir studying in Ukraine on Thursday said the colleges there have stopped on-campus teaching but they were "feeling safe though uncertain about the upcoming situation", in the wake of the Russian military operation on the borders.
Imtiyaz Ahmad Tantary, 23, a second year student pursuing medicine at the Kharkiv National Medical University, said the situation was normal till Wednesday but things started changing during the night.
“We heard two loud sounds in the night. It was far off from our place. The sounds apparently came from the border side with Russia. This was unusual for us,” Mr. Tantary, from north Kashmir’s Magam area, told The Hindu over phone from Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.
On Thursday morning, a notice was put up by the college authorities informing the students that on-campus teaching has been stopped for now. “The situation is not good. Anything can happen.”
He said all Kashmiri students were staying put in their accommodations. "We were told by the college authorities to keep calm and stay inside. We are feeling safe as of now. We have access to basic amenities," Mr. Tantary said.
However, he was quick to add that booking a cab was getting difficult since the morning but the metro services were running normally in the city. He said the Wi-Fi services have been snapped for now.
"We can live without Wi-Fi since we are used to it in Kashmir. But we want to get evacuated from Ukraine before the situation worsens."
Nihaan Noor Khan, 24, a medical student from Srinagar’s Bemina, said his growing up in Kashmir is helping him to handle the situation better.
“I can handle the situation better. I have witnessed many things in Kashmir. That gives me confidence. I am feeling safe as of now. There is no need to panic. We need to track credible news to handle the situation,” Mr. Khan said, who also heard sounds of explosions between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
He is hopeful that the situation will not get worse. "As of now, life is normal here. In case panic grows, then our life will be our first priority. We are in touch with the Indian embassy and have already shared our details," he said.
Around 200 Kashmiri students are studying in Ukraine. They are in touch with the Indian embassy and await the evacuation. The students and their families have also approached J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and sought his intervention.
“The government of India should ensure safe return of Kashmiri students from Russia and Ukraine. The suspension of flight operations has pushed the students into uncertainty,” J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said.
