Britishers urged to leave Ukraine as Russian invasion threat looms

The UK Foreign Office has said that British nationals should leave Ukraine now while “commercial means are available”, as per BBC. The UK announcement comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a virtual call to world leaders that he had fears for the security of Europe.   

As per Downing Street, Johnson also urged leaders to have economic sanctions at the ready if Russia chooses to invade Ukraine. Notably, Johnson and other European state heads including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have been engaged in diplomatic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The aim is to achieve a de-escalation in the Ukraine crisis. 

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However, the news of evacuation arrives on the same day that US President Joe Biden urged his countrypeople to leave Ukraine amid fears of an invasion by Russian troops. 

While Russia has denied any plans of invading Ukraine, they’ve reportedly amassed over 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders. 

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However, in light of the tense situation, the British Foreign Office is also urging against travel to Ukraine and estimates that there are still a few thousand British nationals remaining there. The increased threat has also forced the government to withdraw more embassy staff from Kyiv, and while the British embassy remains open for now, they’re unable to provide in-person consular assistance to the remaining countrypeople. 

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Other nations such as Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands have also advised their nationals to leave Ukraine. 

The crisis started escalating when Russia stationed troops near Ukraine’s border, which led to a NATO response of deploying their own military personnel. Russia made demands that NATO blocks Ukraine’s entry into the organization and reduce its military presence in eastern Europe. The US, which heads NATO, turned down this demand and has already deployed troops to eastern Europe and also provided lethal aid – which includes arms and ammunition – to Ukraine.