As the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, India is making efforts to evacuate stranded citizens. But as tensions run high and the political situation remains precarious, many foreign nationals have reported difficulties in crossing Ukraine border. Many who made the journey to the border in freezing temperatures and with a slew of logistical issues now find themselves stuck at the border with little by way of food or water.

Indians stranded at the border allege that the situation has become tense after recent developments including India’s decision to abstain from the recent UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine. Visuals shared online by students show soldiers firing warning shots and using force to disperse them. Another clip showed an Ukrainian guard shoving an Indian girl away even as she begged him to allow her to make the border crossing. According to students, Ukrainian residents have also turned hostile against them.

A medical student told  that they had been stopped at a checkpoint and asked to play a “hunter game” by Ukrainian border guards. “They said if we win, they will let us through. If we don’t, we will have to stay back. When we refused, the cops tortured an Indian student. He has asthma. Ukrainian cops said all of us would be tortured if we didn’t follow their orders,” she told TOI.

According to reports, others students continue to battle freezing temperatures with no response to calls and messages to the Indian embassy. At the Polish border, some allege that they were being held back from crossing, while Ukrainians were permitted through. As they waited, many had been forced to sleep in parks in temperature below minus 4 degrees, with their food stocks dwindling and their phone batteries dying.

The Indian Embassy in Kyiv said Sunday that Indian citizens are being evacuated from Ukraine to Romania and Hungary. But some have arrived at the border with Poland apparently unaware of this and are stuck.