Context: The Indian government has successfully brought back 250 more citizens from Ukraine in the evacuation mission named Operation Ganga.
Key Points

• India evacuated its stranded citizens from Ukraine via Romania and Hungary through “Operation Ganga”.
• The risky evacuation is taking place in the middle of a war, where Indian professionals are currently stranded in an underground bunker in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
• Indian citizens entered Hungary from the Ukrainian at the Zahony crossing and reached Budapest for the Air India flight.
• A liaison unit was set up by the Indian Embassy, which is bringing stranded Indians in batches through the checkpoint at Zahony.
• Indians were advised not to use other checkpoints to enter Budapest as there were long queues and no embassy unit was present there to facilitate entry.

India's stake?

• Indian diaspora: thousands of Indian students, especially medical students are stranded in Ukraine. The attack by Russia threatens their lives.
• Economy: following the attacks, India’s benchmark S&P BSE Sensex dropped by about 2,700 points, the highest drop in two years.
• Rise in oil prices: Oil prices surged to over a seven-year high of $103 a barrel. The Brent crude rose to $103.78 a barrel, the highest since August 14, 2014. India relies on imports for 85% of its fuel requirements.
• Indian tea exports: Russia is a significant market for Indian tea. Russia imports about 40 million kg from India. Ukraine is also a major importer of Indian tea.
• Wheat exports: The Russia-Ukraine crisis might give India an opportunity to export more wheat in the global markets as about 25% of the world’s wheat export comes from Russia and Ukraine.