New Delhi, March 3: In a significant development, India is deploying its Russian-origin Ilyushin-76 heavy-lift transport aircraft to Russia to bring back Indian citizens returning from Ukraine under Operation Ganga.

Sources in the government said that the Air Force is taking all precautions and not sending its American-origin C-17 aircraft and would instead deploy the Russian-origin Ilyushin-76 for the evacuation mission from Russia.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine ‘War’: Do’s and Don’t Advisory Issued by Ministry of Defense for Indian Nationals, Students in Kharkiv; Check Details Here.

"Indian Air Force is deploying Russian-origin Ilyushin-76 heavy-lift transport aircraft to Russia to bring back Indian citizens returning from Ukraine. India is not deploying American-origin C-17 planes for the mission," Government sources told ANI. Russia-Ukraine 'War': Indian Air Force Deploying Russian-Origin Ilyushin-76 Aircraft to Russia to Bring Back Indian Citizens Returning From Ukraine.

The Il-76 is expected to get clearance for take off shortly, the sources said.

The sources said that a number of Indian students from Ukraine are moving into the Russian territory from the Ukrainian side with assistance from the Indian government.

In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia and America are on different sides and there is a possibility that Russians may not like the presence of American origin planes in their airspace.

India has, so far, deployed only C-17s and commercial planes to bring back citizens from Poland, Romania and Hungary to evacuate citizens returning from there.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)