Germany's Foreign Office has stepped up its warning for its citizens to leave
Ukraine, citing rising tensions and a buildup of Russian troops at the border.
The German Foreign Ministry on Saturday (19/2/2022) increased its travel and
security warnings for Ukraine.
The office also urged all its citizens to leave Ukraine because of the risk of
a possible military confrontation.
Previously, Germany's Foreign Ministry had asked Germans to leave Ukraine, but
the latest warning is more urgent.
"German citizens are urgently asked to leave the country now. A military
confrontation can occur at any time," the statement said.
"Travel abroad on time. If there is a Russian attack on Ukraine, the options
for helping German citizens are very limited," the statement continued.
Earlier this week, the ministry said most of its staff members had left the
German embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
Family members and seconded employees who are not really needed for business
operations have mostly left the country, the ministry said.
Germany's national carrier Lufthansa on Saturday said it was halting all
flights to Kiev and the coastal city of Odessa on Monday.
"Flights will be temporarily suspended until the end of February," the company
announced.
Meanwhile, France on Saturday also recommended to all its citizens that they
should leave Ukraine.
For those in the most open areas, such as in the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk
oblasts, as well as in the Dnipro region, Paris advised them to move "without
delay."
"It is recommended to all French nationals who are not in Ukraine for
compelling reasons to leave the country," the French Foreign Ministry said.
