Government: Germans should leave Ukraine "urgently".
Created: 2022-02-19Updated: 2022-02-19, 5:35 p.m
The West fears that Russia could attack Ukraine from the north via Belarus.
© Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/AP/dpa
A Russian attack on Ukraine has not yet been decided - but the Foreign Office is concerned about the Germans who live there.
Other countries and NATO are also reacting.
Berlin/Vienna - In view of the further escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the federal government is now "urgently" calling on all Germans to leave Ukraine immediately.
"A military conflict is possible at any time," wrote the Federal Foreign Office in its security instructions for the country on the Internet.
So far, the ministry had only asked those Germans to leave the country "at short notice" whose presence was not "absolutely necessary".
The security and travel advice had already been tightened a week ago after the first warnings from the US government of a possible imminent Russian attack.
“If you are currently in Ukraine, check whether your presence is mandatory.
If not, leave at short notice, ”it has been said since then.
"A military conflict cannot be ruled out."
Security warning tightened
On Friday, US President Joe Biden tightened his war warning again and said he now firmly expects an attack on Ukraine - including the capital Kiev - in the next few days.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, on the other hand, said that an attack had not yet been decided.
The safety instructions have been tightened up even more.
The website of the Federal Foreign Office now says: “German nationals are urgently requested to leave the country now.
(...) Leave on time.
Should there be a Russian attack on Ukraine, the possibilities to support German nationals are very limited”.
NATO withdraws employees from Kiev
NATO is withdrawing employees from its representation in Kiev.
"The safety of our staff is of the utmost importance, which is why employees have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels," said a spokeswoman in Brussels on Saturday.
However, the Alliance's offices in Ukraine remained functional.
NATO initially did not provide any information on the number of employees who had been relocated.
The alliance has a diplomatic mission in Kiev, which, with several dozen employees, was until recently the largest in a non-member country.
In addition, NATO operates an information and documentation center in the Ukrainian capital.
The United States had previously relocated personnel to Lviv in western Ukraine.
Warnings from Austria and France
Austria and France are also calling on their citizens living in Ukraine to leave the country.
"A significant deterioration in the situation must be expected," said the Foreign Ministry in Vienna.
The request applies to all of Ukraine except for some western parts.
Around 180 Austrians are currently registered as staying in Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry in Paris said: French people who are in eastern Ukraine, which has been hit by the flare-up of violence, should leave the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions immediately.
For the rest of Ukraine, all French without a compelling reason to stay are advised to leave the country.
It was also advised not to go to the border areas in the north and east of Ukraine.
Travel to Ukraine should be postponed.
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Austria also issued a travel warning.
The Austrian embassy staff, on the other hand, was strengthened.
"It will continue to hold the fort on site in order to support Austrians when they leave the country and to keep in touch with the Ukrainian partners," it said.
flights suspended
Lufthansa and the airlines belonging to the group will temporarily cancel most of their flights to Ukraine from Monday.
The airlines will initially suspend their regular flights to Kiev and Odessa until the end of February, as the company announced on request.
Today and tomorrow there are still individual flights to offer passengers with bookings a travel option.
According to a spokesman, affected guests will be informed and rebooked on alternative flight connections.
According to Lufthansa, the flights to Lviv (Lemberg) in western Ukraine will take place regularly.
In addition to Lufthansa, the airline group also includes the airlines Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.
"Lufthansa continues to monitor the situation closely and is in close contact with national and international authorities," the spokesman continued.
With a view to the impending escalation in the Ukraine conflict, it was said that Lufthansa is constantly monitoring the situation and will decide on further flights at a later date.
dpa
