After Russian President Vladimir Putin started a military operation,' explosions were reported in eastern Ukraine this morning.

This morning, a special flight from Ukraine landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport, carrying 182 Indian nationals (mainly students) from the crisis-plagued European country.

"A special aircraft of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) from Kyiv arrived at Delhi Airport at 7:45 a.m. today, carrying 182 Indian residents, including students," an airline spokesperson told news agency ANI.

This is the airline's maiden flight out of Kiev, Ukraine's capital.

After taking a departure from Kyiv's Boryspil International Airport, a second flight from Ukraine, an Air India plane, is likely to arrive in Delhi later today.

The planes took off from Ukraine just as the Ukrainian government issued a notice limiting civil/passenger aviation movement within its airspace.

After the notification was issued, a third flight was compelled to return to Delhi.

An Air India Boeing aircraft flew roughly 240 Indians back from Ukraine on Tuesday. The flight took off from Kyiv and arrived in Delhi late that evening. The first of four planned evacuation flights took place that day, with the others scheduled for February 24 and 26.

Between February 25 and March 6, four more were scheduled.

It's unclear whether these flights will be able to fly as planned.

Medical students make up a large portion of those being flown back from Ukraine. Indian nationals in Ukraine have already received several warnings from the government, encouraging them to leave as soon as possible.

Early this morning, explosions were reported in Mariupol, in the country's east, just after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced military action,' raising worries of a full-fledged armed confrontation in the region, which might draw in major western powers.

Following Putin's declaration, US Vice President Joe Biden warned of "catastrophic loss of life."

Tensions have risen because Russia recognized two rebel districts in Ukraine as autonomous entities, Donetsk and Luhansk, in breach of a 2015 peace deal. The Kremlin was able to transfer troops into Ukraine as a result of this.

Following it, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as other countries, imposed a series of sanctions. Russia has stated that it has no intention of invading Ukraine.