We are mentally and physically exhausted: Indian students stuck near Russian border

I am only 20 years old I donrsquot want to die I want to live Please airlift me from hererdquo pleaded Mohammad Faisal a student stranded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy He and other Indian students stuck at their hostel told midday that they have run out of food and are now forced to drink tap waterThey were surviving on stale chapatis but even that is over now ldquoWe cannot describe our pains in wordsrdquo said Mohammad Mehtab Raza Faisals senior After running out of filtered drinking water they had arranged soda water but thats over too ldquoNow we are drinking tap water which we use for washing our dishes Many of us have fallen sick and there is no medicine as wellrdquo said Raza a native of East Champaran district of BiharRaza said they donrsquot even remember now the number of times they have to run to the bunker in a dayFaisal who hails from Biharrsquos Motihari district said ldquoIt is nauseating to drink tap water It tastes bitter and stinks but we are left with no other optionrdquo ldquoAbove all our immunity will take a hit soon as we have nothing to eat We are very likely to get waterborne diseases Being a medical student we know how alarming it isrdquo he said adding that they havent slept since Russia started bombing Ukraine about a week backBack home Faisals parents are panicking and scared for his safety ldquoAfter every 5 minutes my mother calls me to know if I am well During video calls she checks if my limbs are intact if I have faced any bullet injuries etc They are desperately asking me to return home but I am stuck here and cant dare to step out as we all have been hearing gruelling sounds of indiscriminate firings and bombingsrdquo he saidFaisal said that he has to lie to his parents that he is in a better condition ldquoIf I tell them the real picture of Sumy they will get even more frightened although they have been following the news about the invasionrdquo he addedMore than 600 medical students from India are yet to be evacuated from Sumy ldquoAll the students here are stuck in their hostels We canrsquot move outrdquo said Faisal who had planned to come to India on February 25 However a day before the Russian forces started the invasion of Ukraine midday spoke to dozens of students to understand their ground realities Many of them didnt wish to be named fearing problems during evacuation or their parents getting to know of their situationlsquoFear of being bombedrsquoThey all have one thing in common the fear of coming under attack ldquoEvery second we fear the next target would be our hostelrdquo they said ldquoThere are armed men on the roads The entire situation is so scaryrdquo said FaisalMohammad Mehtab Raza eating one of the last stale chapatis in his hostel room in SumyRaza told midday that when the air raid siren goes off they have to rush to the bunker ldquoWe cant even remember how many times we have to rush to the bunker in a day And once the threat subsides we return to our rooms We have not slept since the past few daysrdquo said Raza The bunker is completely messy and there is no mat to sit or sleep on We have to also keep ourselves protected in the bonechilling weather The temperature here is 1 degrees Celsiusrdquo he addedldquoWe are left with no food no drinking water no sleepATMs are also running short of cash We can only hear gunshots nowrdquo said Raza a fourthyear student in Sumy State Medical University ldquoMost of us are now physically and emotionally exhausted and do not even get alarmed at the sound of air raid sirens We cant go on running from hostel room to bunker to hostel room again and again and againhelliprdquo said a tired FaisalldquoLocal politicians made a beeline to my hometown in Bihar after they learnt that I am stuck in Ukraine They wanted to connect with me so that they can make the video viral to gain political mileage The opportunist politicians should give space to my parents and family members who are anxiously waiting for my safe arrival homerdquo said Faisal Other students stranded in Sumy told midday the nearest border is with Russia ldquoIt is very far and we canrsquot think of stepping out as we might get killed Also we donrsquot have cash to bear the transportation costrdquo said a studentlsquoPlease rescue usrsquoldquoWe all request the government of India to please rescue us as we cannot travel 1500 km from here Sumy to reach the border because its not safe We need some security to reach the border Our lives are at stake Please help usrdquo said RazaEmotionally ExhaustedMohammad FaisallsquoMost of us are now physically and emotionally exhausted and do not even get alarmed at the sound of air raid sirens We canrsquot go on running from hostel room to bunker to hostel room again and again and againrsquoMohammad Mehtab RazalsquoWe all request the government of India to please rescue us as we cannot travel 1500 km from here Sumy to reach the border because itrsquos not safe We need some security to reach the border Our lives are at stake Please help usrsquo