The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that 15 Maldivian students remain in a tension-high region in Ukraine as Russian forces invade Ukraine with strikes on major cities reported.
The Ministry said in its latest update that all but 5 Maldivian students have returned from the Ukrainian border city of Kharkiv and that the Ministry along with the Maldivian embassy in Berlin remains in touch with the five students. It said that the students are safe and that it would be communicating with them and provide assistance.
The Ministry further said that 14 students remain in Ivano-Frankivsk, on the eastern side and that they are also safe with the Ministry in touch with them as well. It also said that 1 more student remained in an unnamed city and the Ministry is communicating with the student.
Students woke up to the sound of explosions
Maldivian students in Ukraine have spoken to "The Press" about how they were woken up earlier to the sound of explosions as Russia began its offensive in the Country.
The students described that they saw explosions 10 km from where they were staying and that they were shocked by the sounds.
They also said that the early morning explosions woke them up at around 5 am in the morning and that the explosions were seen near Boryspil airport.
Russia begins the much-hyped invasion
Reuters has reported that Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its coast today after President Vladimir Putin authorized what he called a special military operation in the east.
Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Gunfire rattled near the capital's main airport, the Interfax news agency said, and sirens were heard over the city.
