Chennai, Mar 1: Former Indian national rapid chess champion Anwesh Upadhyaya, who was stranded in Ukraine, has managed to leave the capital city of Kyiv and reach Lviv, close to the Polish border.
The 30-year old, who like several of his compatriots has been stuck in Ukraine amid a Russian invasion, reached the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after undertaking a nearly 10-hour long train journey.
Anwesh said he would look to reach India after resting for a day.
“I will rest for a day and then look at the logistics to reach India,” he told PTI from Lviv.
“I am in constant touch with my parents. That will reassure them. I am following whatever advisory the Indian Embassy is providing,” he added.
Meanwhile, Anwesh’s mother Jayshree said he had managed to board a train out of Kyiv after a long wait and undertook a journey, the most part of which he was a standee.
“We have been anxious over the past few days and thankfully when Anwesh told us that he was in a safe place in Lviv, we felt a little bit relaxed,” she told PTI from Bhubaneshwar, where she and her husband Netaji live.
“We had a video call this morning with Anwesh and spoke just half an hour ago. He is planning to proceed to Poland from there,” she added.
Jayshree further said she and her husband were keeping track of the developments in Ukraine through news channels and were waiting for phone calls from Anwesh.
“Though we feel a little bit relaxed after speaking to Anwesh, we are worried about the other Indian students stuck in Ukraine,” she said.
Anwesh had moved to Ukraine in 2012 to pursue medicine. He is doing apprenticeship in gastroenterology at a Kyiv hospital. He had planned to return to India in March. But with Russia launching military operations on February 24, flights were suspended, resulting in uncertainty for foreign citizens.
Anwesh had tried to leave Ukraine earlier but could not get flight tickets. (PTI)
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