Indian Chess Player Anwesh Upadhyaya Stuck In Ukraine, Says Situation Scary

Alone in his apartment and every bit scared, former Indian national rapid chess champion Anwesh Upadhyaya is one among the several of his compatriots stuck in Ukraine amid a Russian invasion and is desperately hoping to be evacuated from the country which has been his home since 2012.

The 30-year-old, who is doing apprenticeship in gastroenterology at a Kyiv hospital, had planned to return to India in March. But with Russia launching military operations on Thursday, flights have been suspended and he is unsure of what is in store.

"Did not expect this intensification. It is a full-scale military invasion. Never imagined this," the 2017 national rapid chess champion told PTI from Kyiv.

At a media briefing on Thursday, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla assured all Indian citizens in Ukraine that the government will take all steps to bring them back safely.

He said there were around 20,000 Indians in Ukraine and of them, nearly 4,000 have returned to India in the last few days.

Upadhyaya said he has seen turmoil in the country, recalling the student protests in 2013 against the then President Viktor Yanukovych's decision of not signing an agreement that would have brought Ukraine closer to the European Union.

But he acknowledged that nothing compared to the chaos that has unfolded in the last few days.

"I was present during the Maidan Revolution which was bad but not this scary," Upadhyaya said, describing the current situation.

"My parents over in India are a worried lot and that's why I had planned to leave in the first week of March," he added about his family which is based in Bhubaneswar.

"They have been calling me constantly, as have some of my school teachers. I am here in my apartment alone. And I