Evacuated from Ukraine, Hyderabad girl recalls ordeal of being stuck in a war zone

Young medico heard gun shots for the first time in life at Romania border

An airline boarding pass had never before been so crucial for L. Priyanka. Having been evacuated from war-hit Ukraine, the 21-year-old medico safely made it to her home in Hyderabad on Sunday morning. But the ordeal before her flight from Otopeni, Romania, is one that she will never forget. Her boarding pass, she says, is a reminder of the harrowing time she lived through.

A sixth-year MBBS student at the Bukovinian State Medical University in Chernivtsi, which is located in the western part of Ukraine, Priyanka suddenly found herself in a war zone as Russia launched full-scale military operations in that country on February 24.

Though war had not touched her region, she and other students could not help but imagine the dreadful possibility. The students were running low on food, water and cash. “Our cards did not work. The prices of groceries doubled. People started hoarding rations. We used up all the cash we had and exchanged our dollars,” recalls Priyanka.

Before the situation could worsen, the Indian Embassy evacuated 400 students from the university and shifted them to Romania. They had to wait at the Romania border for over six hours along with 3,000-odd people, including Ukrainians, says Priyanka. It was there that she heard defeaning gunshots for the first time in her life. “Some people carrying arms shot in the air to control the crowd. Everyone was petrified,” she adds even as she clutches her boarding pass. Her uncles, aunts, cousins and relatives, who gathered at her parents’ house to meet her, listen with rapt attention.

Internet connection at the border was intermittent. Despite the anxiety-filled moments, Priyanka could heave a sigh of relief after stepping into Romania. Some of the students were given mobile SIM cards by the Embassy in Romania, and they immediately made use of it to keep their respective family members updated about their safety. A few hours later, they were taken to the airport near Bucharest where they managed to catch a flight.

She was among the 15 students from Telangana who landed at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here and were received by Principal Secretary of General Administration Department Vikas Raj, Rajendranagar MLA T. Prakash Goud and Shamshabad DCP R. Jagadishwar Reddy. Of them, 13 are from Hyderabad, and one each from Wanaparthy and Jagtial districts. 

Priyanka finally reached her parents’ home in Hyderabad around 9 a.m. on Sunday. “All the transportation was free of cost. The Indian Embassy, Central government and the State government took care of it,” says Priyanka as she carefully slides her boarding pass into a file.