Russia claims that its diplomats have received threats in Ukraine.
Moscow:
Russia on Tuesday said it would soon evacuate its diplomatic staff from Ukraine to “protect their lives”, after lawmakers authorized President Vladimir Putin to use force abroad.
“In order to protect the life and safety (of diplomats), the leadership of Russia has decided to evacuate the staff of the foreign missions of Russia in Ukraine, this will be done within a short period of time. in the near future,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that its diplomats had received threats and that its embassies and consulates had been subjected to “repeated attacks”.
“Ukraine has sunk deeper into chaos,” the statement said.
Several Western embassies have moved from Kyiv to the city of Lviv near the Polish border, as the United States and its allies have for months accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine.
The announcement of the evacuation came shortly after the Russian Senate authorized Putin to use Russian troops abroad.
On Monday, Putin recognized the separatist-held Donetsk and Lugansk regions of eastern Ukraine as independent and signed agreements with them, opening the door to Russia’s military presence in the country. supported by the West.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
