Bridge of Hope: Union Minister Piyush Goyal has posted this illustration on Indians in Ukraine
Union Minister Piyush Goyal has posted an illustration on homegrown microblogging website Koo on India's efforts to evacuate its citizens from conflict-hit Ukraine.
In the illustration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is half submerged in water and his hands are stretch, one touching what appears to be Ukraine and the other India.
A long line of Indian students climb on PM Modi as they cross the water. But there is no one standing between the divide to help students of other nations cross to safety.
The students of Pakistan, China and the US are seen standing alone, shouting for help, while caricatures of their leaders - Imran Khan, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden - peek out from walls.
"PM Narendra Modi ji, India's Bridge of Hope," Mr Goyal says in the Koo post.
Nearly 18,000 Indians, mostly students, were in Ukraine before the Russian invasion started on February 24. Thousands have managed to reach home in evacuation flights.
India has been flying aircraft to countries neighbouring Ukraine, which is under attack by invading Russian forces, to bring students home safely. The students have been asked to move towards the border in western Ukraine by whatever means possible.
Trains had been running from the capital Kyiv. Students who managed to reach Poland have told NDTV their journey from Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, was the most difficult since Russia has concentrated its firepower on this city.
Till March 8, India will fly over 45 evacuation flights from countries neighbouring Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs, or MEA, has said arranging flights are not the main concern as more flights would be made available as long as Indians need to be evacuated, but reaching the western Ukraine border from cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv in the east is the main challenge amid the heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
"With all hands on deck and the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, we will get 3,726 of our people back home today. Jai Hind!," Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted today.