Germany Recommends Citizens To leave Ukraine
Berlin, Feb 12: The German Federal Foreign Office updated its travel advice on Ukraine on Saturday, calling on German citizens to terminate any non-essential stay as soon as possible, adding that the military conflict cannot be ruled out.
“If you are currently in Ukraine, check if your presence is essential. If not, leave as soon as possible,” the new travel advice read. The ministry added that as tensions between Ukraine and Russia allegedly grow, there is a possibility of military conflict to ensue. Countries like New Zealand, Australia, Belgium and Finland told their citizens to leave Ukraine earlier in the day. The United States and the United Kingdom have issued similar recommendations and began evacuating families of diplomats and non-essential staff. Russia decided to “optimize” the staff of Russian foreign missions in Ukraine in case of possible provocations from Kiev or third countries, but the main missions to the country continue their work, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Saturday.
In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of massing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for invasion. Russia continues to insist that it has no intention of invading Ukraine, while stressing that it has the right to move its forces within its own territory. Russia has also expressed concerns over NATO military activity near its borders and ongoing military support of Ukraine, including an increase in the number of Western instructors in the breakaway Donbas region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is not excluding that the “hysteria” around Ukraine fueled by the West is aimed at concealing Kiev’s plans to sabotage the Minsk Agreements on Donbas.
