Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has revealed the nine remaining Maldivians in Ukraine have arrived safely in Hungary.
The five students and a family of three in Kharkiv and one individual in Dnipro were evacuated from the conflict-hit country and are expected to return to the Maldives soon.
The Government of the Maldives has provided visas and made the necessary arrangements for the Maldivians to be repatriated, and Minister Shahid has said they have proper accommodations in Budapest with assistance from the Government of Hungary. Minister Shahid said he applauds the young students for the incredible resilience and maturity they showed in a crisis of this magnitude and thanked President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for his leadership throughout the process of evacuation.
About 50 Maldivian students had been studying in Ukraine when Russia launched an attack against the country last month.
Furthermore, the foreign ministry revealed 11 Maldivian students in Belarus have requested to return to the Maldives. The ministry stated financial assistance will be provided to Maldivian students in Belarus who wish to return home. However, the ministry said university classes will go ahead in Belarus as there is no immediate danger in the country yet.