Ukraine invasion: as thousands of Asians struggle to evacuate ahead of Russian advance, some are vowing to stay

There are still thousands of Indians in the country, with sizeable numbers of Japanese, Filipinos, South Koreans and Indonesians trying to flee the violence

Some find themselves stuck as airspace closes and train services are cancelled. Others have chosen to stay put, determined to ‘continue with our daily lives’

Reading Time:4 minutes

People look at the damage following a rocket attack in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo: AP

Published: 7:00am, 26 Feb 2022Updated: 1:25pm, 9 Mar 2022

As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, several Asian governments are scrambling to evacuate their citizens via its neighbours to the west.

Japan said it had an estimated 120 citizens in Ukraine as of late January and evacuation flights were being arranged out of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged citizens to make their way to the west, towards Poland or Hungary.

India said it had already evacuated 4,000 Indians since it started repatriating citizens home a month ago, but there were still another 16,000 Indians in Ukraine.

It has sent foreign ministry officials to Ukraine’s land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania to provide assistance to fleeing Indian nationals.

The Philippines said it had 38 citizens fleeing to Poland where they would eventually take a flight home, while South Korea said 36 of its 64 citizens in Ukraine had asked for help to get home.

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