KYIV, March 7 – Russian troops blocking the evacuation of civilians from cities located in zones of active hostilities have actually taken more than 2,000 foreign students of Ukrainian universities hostage, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereschuk said.

"Some 659 students from India, some 160 from China, some 144 from Turkey, some 400 students from Nigeria. Among the students are citizens of the countries of the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, including South Africa, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. A total of 2,046 foreign students from 27 countries of the world. They are all now stuck in Sumy, Chernihiv, Mariupol, Kherson precisely because of Russian shelling," Vereschuk said on Facebook.