A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia's attack on the country. Source: Pixabay
Twenty-three-year-old Sanket Patil from Dombivli in Maharashtra was excited after getting admission in a Ukraine-based university for a medical course and moving to the European country for studies. Little did he know that his happiness would only last for a few hours.
Russia attacked Ukraine minutes after Sanket stepped into his college hostel on February 24. A delighted Sanket, with dreams of a bright future in his eyes, had left for Ukraine on February 23. He is now confined to the hostel there and is staring at an uncertain future.
His family back home is worried about his safety and is praying for his safe return.
Patil had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to pursue medical education in India. But his father, a school teacher, could not afford the high fees of colleges here.
The family then tried for his admission in the Bukovinian State Medical University at Chernivtsi in Ukraine.
"The fee in Ukraine was one-third of that charged here, so I decided to get my son admitted there," Sanket's father Gokul Patil said.
He entered the university hostel on February 24 and within minutes he got to know that Russia had launched the military offensive against Ukraine.
Gokul Patil is now worried about his son's safety.
"There is no one there to take care of him. I am worried about his safety. After getting into the hostel, he called us and said all is well, but then the war began," said Patil.
A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia's attack on the country. India has started evacuating them and over 900 people have been brought back since Saturday.