India's Evacuation Operations
Historical Precedents
India has a long and expanding tradition of mounting large-scale evacuation operations to bring citizens home from conflict zones. These operations have become a visible demonstration of Indian state capacity and diplomatic reach.
- Kuwait Airlift (1990): India's largest-ever civilian airlift — over 1,50,000 Indians evacuated from Kuwait during the First Gulf War; remains a landmark in consular operations
- Operation Vande Bharat (2020): Evacuated nearly 1.83 crore Indians stranded globally during the COVID-19 pandemic; involved 3 phases of air and sea operations
- Operation Ganga (2022): Evacuated Indian students from Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war
- Operation Ajay (2023): Evacuated over 1,300 Indians from Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict
- Operation Kaveri (2023): Evacuated 3,961 Indians and 136 foreign nationals from Sudan using INS Sumedha and Indian Air Force transport aircraft
● Tracked since February 28, 2026 · last seen April 21, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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