The relevant message appeared on January 24 on the website of the US Embassy.

USA

The reason for their departure was called "the threat of military action by Russia." The diplomats were allowed to leave voluntarily, authorised, at their discretion. Non-key employees of the embassy can fly from Ukraine to the United States at public expense.

Authorised departure means diplomats can leave Ukraine if they want; their departure is not required.

The US Department of State also recommends that all US citizens in Ukraine leave the country using available modes of transport. The status of the departure order from the US Embassy will be reviewed within 30 days.

United Kingdom

Following the United States, the United Kingdom is evacuating its diplomats from Ukraine. Employees of the British Embassy in Kyiv are being evacuated from the country. About half of the diplomats will leave Ukraine because of the growing threat of the Russian invasion.

The decision was published on the diplomatic mission's Twitter page.

"Some embassy staff and their families are being withdrawn from Kyiv in response to the growing threat from Russia. The British Embassy remains open and will continue to carry out important work", - the statement said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Ukrainian diplomats called such a step a manifestation of excessive caution, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko told Suspilne.

"Respecting the right of foreign states to ensure the security of their diplomatic missions, we consider such a step by the American side premature and a manifestation of excessive caution. In fact, there have been no radical changes in the security situation recently: the threat of new waves of Russian aggression has remained constant since 2014, and the accumulation of Russian troops near the state border began in April last year", - Nikolenko said.

According to him, the decision of the US State Department does not mean that all employees of the US Embassy will leave Ukraine. The embassy will continue to function fully.

Members of the diplomatic mission were allowed to leave if they wished. However, their departure is not mandatory at all, the diplomat stressed.

The Foreign Ministry also urged to take calmly the recommendations to US citizens to register their travel plans on the website of the State Department.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also recommended Ukrainians who travel abroad to register in a similar system, “DRUG”. This is a normal international practice of maintaining consular communication with its citizens", - Nikolenko explained.

According to him, the Russian Federation is currently making active efforts to destabilise the internal situation in Ukraine.

“A lot of misinformation, manipulations and fakes are spreading in the Ukrainian and international media space to sow panic among Ukrainians and foreigners, to undermine the economic and financial stability of our state. It is important to assess the risks and remain calm", - the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed.

"Ukraine is consolidating unprecedentedly high support from international partners to deter Russia from its aggressive actions, to ensure the security of Ukrainian citizens and the state", - the Foreign Ministry said.

They also thanked the US government for its proactive diplomatic stance and strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities, including providing the latest weapons and equipment.

What is known

• In the list of official travel recommendations on the website of the US State Department, Ukraine is at the fourth red level - US citizens are strongly advised to refrain from travelling to Ukraine "due to the growing threat of significant Russian military action against Ukraine." Previously, the travel recommendation was already at the fourth level with the reason - do not travel because of COVID-19.

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