Burnt our luggage to feel warmth: Indian students share ordeal of escape and survival in war-hit Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine war news latest updates: Indian students, who arrived in India from war-hit Ukraine, share all about their harrowing journey and survival at Ukraine borders.

A mother broke into tears as she saw her son walking towards her after being rescued by the Indian government from the Romanian border. She said, "I didn't know if I would ever see my son again. I kept praying and even today, I prayed to Lord Ganesha and Hanuman this morning for him to return safely on the flight back to India."

Anxious families have been waiting outside the international arrival terminal at the Delhi airport as the government continues the evacuation of Indian students from war-hit Ukraine.

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While some were seen carrying hand-made cards for their young aspiring doctors, some stood outside the airport with flowers and Indian flags, waiting for their loved ones to come back home.

Aditya, a 22-year-old second-year student of Ternopil National University in Ukraine's Ternopil, was rescued from the Poland border. He crossed the Sheyni border, which is 200 km from where he was stuck during bombing and shelling.

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"When the war began on February 24, there were five of us who booked a taxi. It took us eight to nine hours to travel 200 km because everyone was rushing to the borders. The cab driver dropped us...at a point which was the farthest he could travel and said he wouldn't be able to go any further. We calculated that if he walked further it would take us two-three days. We began our journey on foot," Aditya said.