Modi govt working in mission-mode to ensure all Indians are evacuated from Ukraine: Naqvi

The Modi government is working day and night on a mission-mode to ensure that all the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine are brought back to India safely, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Thursday as he welcomed a batch of evacuees arriving via Poland.

The ongoing ''Operation Ganga'' to evacuate Indian citizens safely from Ukraine is a testament to the capability of India and the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naqvi said.

Naqvi said thousands of Indian citizens have been brought to India safely under the ''Operation Ganga'' and it is the Modi government's effort that every citizen can be evacuated safely.

The Indian Air Force has also started operations to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine on a war footing, he added.

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.