Kiev Received No Requests From Other States On Evacuation Of Diplomats - Foreign Ministry

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2022) The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any requests from embassies of other countries concerning an evacuation of their employees, spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko told Ukrainian Glavcom newspaper on Tuesday.

The New York Times reported on Monday, citing a senior Ukrainian security official, that Russia was going to evacuate diplomats from Ukraine. According to the official, Russia began "thinning out" its embassy in Kiev on January 5. The report says 18 individuals, mostly children and spouses of Russian diplomats, boarded buses heading to Russia followed by about 30 more people from Russian embassy in Kiev and consulate in Lviv.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the Russian embassy in Kiev was operating as usual.

"Embassies of other states in Ukraine have not reported on intentions to evacuate their employees. On its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not yet planning the evacuation of Ukrainian diplomats from Russia," Nikolenko said.

According to the spokesman, the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow, consulates general in St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don, as well as consulates in Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk are working as usual.