NEW DELHI: Fearing the impending fall of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city India has put out an urgent appeal to all its nationals in Kharkiv, asking them to leave the city and reach three neighbouring towns in Ukraine immediately.

In back-to-back, half a dozen tweets the Indian Embassy which have reportedly stopped functioning from Kyiv since yesterday first posted, "URGENT ADVISORY TO ALL INDIAN NATIONALS IN KHARKIV. FOR THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY THEY MUST LEAVE KHARKIV IMMEDIATELY. PROCEED TO PESOCHIN, BABAYE AND BEZLYUDOVKA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES THEY MUST REACH THESE SETTLEMENTS *BY 1800 HRS (UKRAINIAN TIME) TODAY*." 6 pm local time in Kyiv is (9.30 pm IST).

Within an hour there was another post that repeated the message and also added, THOSE STUDENTS WHO CANNOT FIND VEHICLES OR BUSES AND ARE IN RAILWAY STATION CAN PROCEED ON FOOT TO PISOCHYN (11 KM) BABAI (12 KM) AND BEZLYUDIVKA (16 KM).  

Babai which has the two closest railways of Pokotylivka and Karachivka and Bezlyudivka which is about 3 km from the railway stop are straight down south of Kharkiv, while Pisochyn is down South West of Kharkiv and has railway stations, Pisochyn and Ryzhov, that are connected to Kharkiv and Poltava.

The embassy's tweet immediately attracted hundreds of responses from those who are still stuck, inside the city, mostly students, several of them saying it was possible to venture out on foot in a notice of just 6 hours as the situation was very grim. Many of them requested for some conveyance to be organised however a few said they are trying to get out. 

Achsah Alen Varghese Tweeted, "We aren’t allowed to board trains from Kharkiv and we are expected to evacuate from here by 6 pm today?"

Dr. Ishaan Kaul tweeted, "Please help I don't know where else to contact; I have called so many times the embassy no one is responding.  here shelling and bombing is going on. I am stuck with my wife and daughter. Please evacuate us out of here."

Praveen tweeted, "My 2 friends AMAN and HIMANSHU are going by foot towards pisochin, please arrange something when they reach pisochin, please send someone there."

Hundreds of Indians mostly students stranded in Kharkiv have posted pictures and videos saying that they were not allowed to board trains and those who managed to get in were asked to de-board. 

According to some post, nearly 1,000 plus Indians were stuck at the railway station and were being manhandled by the Ukrainian guards who have even threatened and kicked them.