22,500 Indians Returned From Ukraine Between Feb 1 And Mar 11: Govt

Around 22,500 Indian nationals returned to India from Ukraine between February 1 and March 11, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Monday.

The Ukrainian authorities shut down the country's airspace for civilian aircraft after the Russian invasion on February 24.

India started evacuating its citizens from Ukraine's neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania and Hungary from February 26. A total of 90 evacuation flights were operated under Operation Ganga, including 14 Indian Air Force flights, the minister said.

In his reply to a written question in Rajya Sabha, Singh said, "Around 22,500 Indian nationals have returned from Ukraine to India from February 1 to March 11, 2022."

"The air fare for all the flights operated under Operation Ganga has been borne entirely by the government and nothing has been charged from the students," he added.