Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pressed the Indian Air Force (IAF) into service to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine amid the deepening crisis in the war-torn country.

Joining the evacuation efforts as part of the Indian government’s Operation Ganga from Tuesday, the IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft to bring back Indians stuck in Ukraine in the midst of a Russian invasion.

The sources further informed that in order to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts under Operational Ganga, PM Modi has called for the Indian Air Force to join the evacuation efforts. “Leveraging the capacities of our Air Force will ensure that more people can be evacuated in a shorter time frame," the sources added.

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Amid the shortage of food, fuel, medical supplies and other essentials as Russian forces press their advance in the country, the IAF aircraft will also help deliver humanitarian aid more efficiently in Ukraine.

The government launched Operation Ganga to rescue Indian citizens, mostly students, from Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia six days ago. So far, 1,396 Indian nationals have been brought back from Ukraine in six evacuation flights.

The Centre on Monday decided to send four Union ministers to nations adjoining Ukraine to personally oversee and coordinate the evacuation exercise.

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