Indian student among Ukraine shelling dead

One Indian student has died in shelling in war-torn Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning," Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

"The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family," he wrote.

Earlier in the day, India asked all its nationals to immediately leave the Ukrainian capital "by any means available", with Russian tanks being caught on camera entering Kyiv.

"All Indian nationals, including students, are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available," the Indian Embassy in Ukraine tweeted.

On Monday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered four of his senior Ministers to rush to Ukraine's neighbouring countries to help evacuate not only Indians but also foreign nationals stranded in that country.

"Evacuation efforts on… situation on ground continues to be complex and fluid, some of them quite concerning, but we’ve been able to accelerate our evacuation process,"  Bagchi told the media on Monday night.

"About 8,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since we issued advisories, not since the conflict began."

In a related statement, the Foreign Ministry had said, "The Prime Minister pointed out that the visit of four senior ministers as his Special Envoys to various nations will energise the evacuation efforts. It is reflective of the priority the government attaches to this matter."

"Guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the prime minister also stated that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing countries who are stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance."

Last week, Prime Minister Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately halt military action against Ukraine, underscoring the need for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. 

This was after Ukraine's envoy in Delhi sought Modi's intervention in ending the Russian offensive.

"Modi ji is one of the most powerful, respected world leaders. You have a privileged, strategic relation with Russia. If Modiji speaks to Putin we are hopeful he'll respond," Ukraine's Ambassador Igor Polikha told the local media on Thursday.

An estimated 15,000 Indians are said to be currently in Ukraine.