Operation Ganga

Operation Ganga
Part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Operational scopeHumanitarian relief
Planned byMinistry of External Affairs and Indian Armed Forces
ObjectiveEvacuation of Indian nationals
Date26 February 2022 (2022-02-26) – 11 March 2022
Beyond 11 March 2022 for nationals left if assistance sought[1]
Executed byMinistry of External Affairs, Indian Air Force and Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Go First, AirAsia India,[2][3] with the support and coordination of the government and embassies of neighbouring countries.
OutcomeAbout 25,000 Indian nationals were evacuated[4]
147 citizens of 18 other countries were evacuated
Casualtiesone student[5] killed
one student[6] injured

Operation Ganga was an evacuation mission carried out by the Indian government to rescue its citizens stranded in neighboring countries of Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The citizens were transported from Romania, Hungary, Poland, Moldova, and Slovakia to India with assistance from these countries.[7][8] India maintained a neutral stance during the invasion.[9][10]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 26 February 2022 during which, among other issues, the safety of students was brought up.[11] The first evacuation flight from Bucharest reached New Delhi with 249 nationals at around 2:55 am Indian Standard Time (IST) on 27 February.[12] Four union ministers—namely, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and V.K. Singh—were sent the next day to neighbouring countries of Ukraine to assist in prioritizing coordination with local authorities.[13][14] The Indian Air Force and multiple Indian private airlines provided logistical support.[3]

India had about 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine,[15] out of which just over 18,000 were students.[16] Approximately 16,000 Indian citizens were present in Ukraine at the moment of commencement of Russian invasion.[17] By 5 March, about 18,000 had crossed the border of Ukraine.[18][19] However emergency evacuation was requested by students still in Ukraine, such as in Sumy.[20][21][22] Following a "Leave Kharkiv Immediately" embassy advisory on 2 March,[23] the Indian Ministry of Defence released a survival advisory for those still in Ukraine and specifically Kharkiv.[24][25] By 6 March about 16,000 Indians had been flown to India in 76 flights.[26] On 8 March the MEA said that all students in Sumy have been moved facilitated by humanitarian corridors.[27][28]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :OpGangaAfter11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Russia-Ukraine war: Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet fly to evacuate stranded Indians back home". The Free Press Journal. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi virtually met stakeholders involved in Operation Ganga launched for evacuation of Indians from Ukraine". pib.gov.in. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Indian student killed in Ukraine amid criticism over evacuation". Al Jazeera. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  6. ^ "His son injured in Ukraine shooting, a father's appeal from Delhi to warring nations". The Indian Express. 5 March 2022.
  7. ^ "IndiGo to join Operation Ganga to evacuate stranded Indian nationals in Ukraine". India Today. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  8. ^ Gupta, Shishir (3 March 2022). "IAF places IL-76 on standby for students evacuation from Moscow". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  9. ^ Siddiqui, Sabrina; Leary, Alex; Roy, Rajesh (5 March 2022). "Russian Invasion of Ukraine Strains U.S.'s Strategic Ties With India". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  10. ^ Tharoor, Shashi (2 May 2022). "Modi's Big Mistake". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Prime Minister speaks to His Excellency President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Kaushik, Krishn; Mukul, Pranav; Barman, Sourav Roy (1 March 2022). "India sends aid to Ukraine today, 4 ministers to help in evacuation". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  15. ^ "60 per cent of Indians in Ukraine crossed the borders and are safe: Centre submits to Kerala HC". The New Indian Express. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Iwanek, Krzysztof (March 2022). "Asian states' reactions to Russian invasion of Ukraine: China, Japan, India, Iran, Pakistan". Asia Research Centre Brief (74). Retrieved 8 March 2022 – via Academia.edu.
  18. ^ Kabir, Radifah (3 March 2022). "OpGanga: The Complete Timeline Of Evacuation Flights Bringing Back Indians Stuck In Ukraine". ABP News. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  19. ^ "6,400 Indian national evacuated under Operation Ganga, says Centre". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  20. ^ Sharma, Ritu (3 March 2022). "'Our morale is broken, the hostel we stayed in was destroyed in air-strike': Indian students stuck in Pisochyn share ordeal". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  21. ^ Krishnankutty, Pia (3 March 2022). "1,000 students stranded in Kharkiv outskirts, day after India asks citizens to leave city". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Supreme Court tells Attorney-General to talk to Centre over evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine". The Hindu. 3 March 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Kaushik, Krishn (3 March 2022). "'Stay in bunker, learn Russian phrases': MoD issues 'survival guidelines' for students stuck in Ukraine". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Advisory for Indian Nationals/Students in Ukraine (Kharkiv)". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  26. ^ "India successfully evacuated over 15,920 students from Ukraine via 76 flights". Mathrubhumi English. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Operation Ganga: All Indian students moved out of Ukraine's Sumy, says MEA". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference :23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).