New Delhi: India on Friday was grappling with complexities in evacuating its citizens from Ukraine through land border crossings in view of rapidly advancing Russian troops and chaotic ground situation as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the "predicament" of the stranded Indian nationals with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Notwithstanding the difficult ground situation, India managed to set up camp offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine to facilitate the transit of Indians to Hungary, Romania and Poland, official sources said.
India also positioned teams of officials at Zahony border post in Hungary, Krakowiec as well as Shehyni-Medyka land border points in Poland, Vysne Nemecke in the Slovak Republic and Suceava transit point in Romania to coordinate exit of Indian nationals from Ukraine, they said.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the first batch of evacuees from Ukraine reached Romania via Suceava border crossing and Indian officials will now facilitate their travel to Bucharest for their onward journey to India.
Bagchi also shared on Twitter visuals of Indians crossing the Romania-Ukraine border.
Senior officials said Air India will operate two flights to the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday to evacuate the Indians. More flights are likely to operate in the next few days.
Earlier, the Indian embassy in Ukraine said over 470 students will exit Ukraine and enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret border on Friday and that it is moving them to neighbouring countries for onward evacuation.
It said that the "massive evacuation" operation was organised through the joint efforts of Indian embassies in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Hungary and that efforts are underway to relocate Indians coming in from the hinterland.
As India stepped up efforts to evacuate around 16,000 of its citizens, mostly students, Jaishankar, during a phone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the predicament of the Indian nationals and appreciate his support for their safe return.
"Received call from Ukrainian FM @DmytroKuleba. He shared his assessment of the current situation.I emphasised that India supports diplomacy & dialogue as the way out," Jaishankar tweeted.
"Discussed predicament of Indian nationals, including students. Appreciate his support for their safe return," he added.
India is trying to evacuate its nationals through Ukraine's land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Ukrainian government closed the country's airspace following the Russian military offensive.
As concerns mounted in India over the well-being of its citizens, Russian diplomatic sources said the Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine should stay calm and remain wherever they are.
The sources said President Vladimir Putin conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night that the Russian military operation in Ukraine does not represent any threat to the civilian population.
In his telephonic conversation with Putin, the prime minister "sensitised" him about concerns over the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine and conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return home, according to an official statement.
A Russian readout said the President of Russia said that "necessary instructions would be given".
The sources said Russia will definitely extend assistance to India for the evacuation of its citizens from Ukraine if it receives any specific request.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine appealed to the Indians to continue to remain "strong, safe and alert" in "this difficult" and assured them that the Indian government and the mission are working to establish evacuation routes.
"Once above routes are operational, Indian nationals travelling by their own arrangements for transport would be advised to proceed to above border checkpoints, and remain in touch with the helpline numbers set up at respective checkpoints for facilitation through the border," it said.
It also advised Indians to paste printouts of the Indian flag prominently on vehicles and buses while travelling.
The Indian embassies in Poland and Slovakia too issued separate advisories explaining details about their entry into these two countries.
The Indian embassy in Poland asked Indian nationals arriving at the Poland-Ukraine border by bus or taxi to enter through the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing and not by the Krakowiec point.
Meanwhile, sources in the government said that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is likely to meet again on Saturday amid the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a meeting of the CCS on Thursday night after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine.
Besides the prime minister, the defence minister, the home minister, the external affairs minister and the finance minister are part of the CCS.
Top officials of the security apparatus are also called to attend CCS meet.