Indian student shot in Kyiv, hospitalised

Days after an Indian student lost his life amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, another has been hospitalised after being shot in Kyiv, Union Minister VK Singh told ANI on Friday.

\"A student from Kyiv was reported to have been shot and was immediately admitted to the hospital in Kyiv," Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation General VK Singh told ANI.

The minister emphasised that the Indian embassy in Kyiv has already advised Indians in Ukraine to evacuate the war-torn country. "in the event of war, the gun bullet does not look at anyone's religion and nationality," he added.

VK Singh is among the four Union ministers who traveled to eastern Europe earlier this week to oversee the evacuation exercise in Ukraine. Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Kiren Rijiju are the



other three "special envoys" who are currently in Ukraine's adjoining nations to coordinate the evacuation of Indian nationals still stuck in the war-torn country.

In the first Indian casualty of the war in Ukraine, a medical student from Karnataka's Haveri district was killed amid intense shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday. The victim, Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University.

Following the incident, India asked the envoys of both Russia and Ukraine to ensure "urgent safe passage" to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other conflict zones. The Indian embassy also issued urgent directions to citizens on Thursday to leave Kharkiv and make their way to three safe zones.