PUTRAJAYA: A viral video of a group of students purportedly trapped in Ukraine and crying for help in Tamil are not Malaysians, says Wisma Putra.

       “The ministry wishes to refer to a 45-second video clip that has been circulating, allegedly posted by a group of Malaysian students still trapped in one locality in Ukraine.

       “Based on inquiries and verification efforts undertaken thus far, the said video is not of a group of Malaysian students as alleged,” it said in a statement yesterday.

       The video clip shows four women crying and desperately appealing for help in Tamil, claiming that their place had been cordoned off and all they could hear was the sound of shelling.

       One of the women said there were 5,000 students trapped in their homes across Ukraine as a result of the bombardment by Russian troops, adding that some were left without food and water.

       However, they did not reveal their nationality and location.

       Before the war with Russia, about 76,000 foreign students are believed to be in Ukraine.

       The ministry also urged any Malaysian still remaining in Ukraine and requiring consular assistance to contact its embassy in Warsaw, Poland, via its email mwwarsaw@kln.gov.my and hotlines at +48 22375 9930 and +48 22617 4413 and its 24-hour line at +48 66062 7360.

       It can also be contacted for consular assistance via bkrm@kln.gov.my, dutyofficer@kln.gov.my or at +603 8887 4676 during office hours and at +603 8887 4570 after office hours.

       Wisma Putra said it was monitoring the situation in Russia where there are 861 Malaysians, comprising 784 students, 33 expatriates and 44 personnel from the Malaysian diplomatic mission and their dependents.

       “In view of the reported difficulties faced with regards to banking and financial transactions, the embassy has on March 6 issued a specific advisory concerning the disruption of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) services from Malaysia to students’ bank accounts with certain banks in the Russian Federation.

       “We advise Malaysian students still facing such EFT disruptions or are in need of consular assistance to contact the embassy through its dedicated email kbm.moscow@yandex.ru and hotlines at +7 90674 61333, +7 96512 22746, +7 90356 66101 or +7 90350 48666,” said the ministry.

       All Malaysians in Russia who have yet to register with the embassy are advised to do so as soon as possible.

       The Star reported on March 5 that Malaysian students in Novogorod Oblast and Moscow were facing difficulties withdrawing money from banks that had connections with the United States and Britain as the international banking system were blocked.

       Other payment methods were also disrupted.