General (Retd) V K Singh Says Leaving For Poland Monday Night To Coordinate Evacuation Of Indians From Ukraine

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) Union Minister V K Singh said he is leaving for Poland Monday night to coordinate the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine amid a Russian military offensive.

With the Ukrainian airspace being closed for civilian aircraft, India is evacuating its citizens through its neighbouring countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assigned four Union ministers to be on the ground in the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to facilitate the smooth and safe evaluation of Indian nationals.

While Singh will coordinate the evacuation efforts in Poland, Kiren Rijiju will be in Slovakia and Hardeep Singh Puri in Hungary. Jyotiraditya Scindia will look after evacuation efforts from Romania and Moldova.

Singh said Prime Minister Modi has taken a visionary step to send the Union ministers to neighbouring countries of war-torn Ukraine.

'I am leaving for Poland today and will coordinate with both Ukraine and Poland to facilitate evacuation of Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine,' Singh told reporters here.

He is expected to meet the Polish ambassador before leaving for Poland.

Singh said he wants to assure the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine that the Indian government is taking all steps for their safe return and urged them to be patient and safe.

The decision to send these ministers as 'special envoys' of India came a day after Modi asserted that ensuring the safety of Indian students and evacuating them is the government's top priority.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)