Indian Air Force joins Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine

New Delhi: A military transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster, of the Indian Air Force left for Bucharest in Romania Wednesday morning to bring back Indians from Ukraine under the evacuation mission Operation Ganga. The aircraft took off Wednesday early morning from the Hindan Air Force Station near Delhi.

The Indian Air Force in a tweet said, as part of ongoing Operation Ganga, the IAF has deployed four C- 17 aircraft to supply relief material and evacuate Indian nationals using airfields in Romania, Poland and Hungary due to ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

As part of Operation Ganga, the Centre has been carrying out its efforts on war footing to evacuate Indians from Ukraine which is facing the Russian invasion. A number of Indian aircraft have been flying to Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania on the western border of Ukraine as Ukraine has shut its airspace to civilian craft amid Russian airstrikes on its military and strategic establishments. As per the latest official reports, more than 12,000 Indians have reached safety and now only 8000 nationals remain there. Indian mission is trying to bring Indian nationals and students to West Ukraine which is comparatively safer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pressed the Indian Air Force into the 'Operation Ganga' for evacuation efforts which will also help in delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is facing the shortage of food, fuel, medical supplies and other essential items.

The Prime Minister has reiterated that his government will not spare any effort to bring home Indians safely from Ukraine. Asserting that the country has made it a priority to rescue all Indians stuck in Ukraine, Modi said, "It is due to India's rising strength that we are are able to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine."

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