British nationals in Ukraine have been warned to leave the country “immediately by any means possible” amid growing fears of Russian invasion.
Junior defence minister James Heappey said on Saturday that British troops who are in Ukraine training local forces will depart this weekend and that Britons remaining in the country should not expect military evacuation.
Mr Heappey told Sky News: “British nationals should leave Ukraine immediately by any means possible and they should not expect – as they saw in the summer with Afghanistan – that there would be any possibility of a military evacuation.”
It comes after a similar warning was given to Americans by US President Joe Biden, as well as from the governments of Japan, Latvia, Norway, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand to their citizens in the country.
The US has suspended consular services in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and most staff have been told to return home, with a limited embassy presence remaining in Lviv, in the west of the country.
The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, wrote on Twitter on Saturday: “I am staying in Kyiv and continue to work there with a core team. The embassy remains operational.”
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Military drills in Ukraine
Russia has said staff numbers at its embassy have been “optimised”, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying the move was in response to concerns for their safety.
She said: “We conclude that our American and British colleagues apparently know about some military actions being prepared in Ukraine that could significantly complicate the situation in the security sphere.
“In this situation,…
Source : skynews
