Fear of Russian invasion
USA: Diplomatic families should leave Kiev
01/24/2022, 01:35 am
In the past few weeks, Russia has massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border. Washington is now reacting and is calling the diplomatic families based in Kiev back home. The reason is the “continued threat of a Russian military operation”.
Against the background of growing tensions in the Ukraine conflict, the USA has issued a travel warning for Russia. The US State Department also ordered the relatives of US diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday. The reason for this is the “continued threat of a Russian military operation,” the ministry said in Washington.
“We believe that a Russian invasion (…) could take place at any moment,” a senior US official told reporters. She warned: “The US would not be able to evacuate US citizens in this case”. The embassy in Kyiv will remain open and the chargé d’affaires Kristina Kvien “remains in Ukraine,” the official added.
Earlier, the ministry said local and non-essential US embassy employees could “voluntarily” leave the country. Other US citizens living in Ukraine should “now consider” leaving Ukraine by commercial flights or other means of transportation. Deputy US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland had estimated the number of US citizens in Ukraine at the beginning of December to the US broadcaster CNN at 10,000 to 15,000.
The USA had previously issued a travel warning for Ukraine because of the corona pandemic. Added to this was the warning about the growing tensions on the eastern border with Russia. The US State Department therefore advised its citizens against traveling to the border region in particular. The situation there is “unpredictable”.
The Federal Foreign Office does not yet intend to withdraw
Washington also justified the travel warning for Russia with possible “harassment, abuse and blackmail”, including the “arbitrary application of laws” by the Russian police. The US State Department reported that US citizens have already been “interrogated and threatened without reason by Russian officials.” The embassy in Moscow can only help them “to a limited extent”.
Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks. The West therefore fears a major Russian attack on the neighboring country. Moscow denies any invasion plans. Despite the tense situation, the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said it did not intend to withdraw personnel from Ukraine. The security situation is being monitored “very carefully,” it said.
So far, Germany has only advised its citizens against traveling to the areas in the east controlled by pro-Russian separatists and to the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula. However, the Foreign Office advises Germans in Ukraine to be well informed about the security situation “in light of the current movements of Russian military units near the Ukrainian borders”.