Moscow will withdraw its diplomatic staff from Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Kiev of failing to comply with its international obligations to ensure the safety of its diplomats.
"The Russian Embassy in Kiev and the Consulate General of our country in Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov have been repeatedly attacked," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
He explained, “Russian diplomats have also been subjected to aggressive actions. They received threats of physical violence. Their car was burned."
"The Kiev authorities have failed to act on these threats and to protect Russian diplomats despite their obligations under the Vienna Convention," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the framework agreement on diplomatic relations.
The statement concluded with the announcement that Russian diplomatic staff would be evacuated from Ukraine "in the near future."
The move comes a day after Russia recognized the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR), which split from Ukraine in 2014 after the Maidan events and the coup in Kiev.
Explaining the decision, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the recognition was necessary because Ukrainian authorities had given up on negotiations and were trying to take back the breakaway territory by force.
Kiev denies supporting a military solution, while its Western allies accuse Russia of planning an all-out invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin dismissed the allegations as "fake news." The DPR and LPR accuse Kiev of preparing to launch a military operation.
They accused Ukrainian troops of shelling their positions with heavy artillery and launching attacks on local infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials have rejected these allegations, claiming Kiev has no plans to retake the republics by force. According to Ukraine, the attacks were carried out by the separatists themselves.
