New Delhi: Over 22,000 Indian citizens have returned home safely from war-torn Ukraine despite the challenges posed, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament on Tuesday adding that a large number of students elected to stay back despite several advisories.

"As tensions increased, Indian Embassy in Ukraine started a registration drive for Indians in Jan 2022.

As a result, around 20,000 Indians registered. Most Indian nationals were students pursuing medical studies in Ukrainian universities dispersed throughout the country," Jaishankar said in his statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.