Photo: serhii nuzhenko, radio liberty
Russia began evacuating the families of its diplomats from Ukraine. In particular, a high-ranking official of the Security Service of Ukraine stated that 18 people, mostly children and wives of Russian diplomats, left Ukraine 5 January. This was reported by Radio Liberty with reference to The New York Times.
About 30 more people left the Russian embassy in Kyiv and the consulate in Lviv in the following days, and diplomats at two other Russian consulates received the order to prepare to leave Ukraine. U.S. officials told The New York Times that Washington knew about the evacuation.
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«We have information indicating that the Russian government was preparing to evacuate members of their families from the Russian embassy in Ukraine in late December and early January,» the statement said.
Reducing the number of Russian embassies could be «part propaganda, part preparation for a looming conflict, or part feint, or all three scenarios at once,» the newspaper said, citing Ukrainian and US officials. The article says that Washington believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet made a decision to invade.
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In response to a request to comment on the publication, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian embassy in Kyiv is operating on a full-time basis.
We will recall that in an interview with Ostap Kryvdyk, an activist and associate researcher at the UCU Analytical Center, you can read about whether Ukraine is ready for modern provocations or whether the crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border is part of an investigation into Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine. Tvoe Misto, which produces Lviv Now, also organized a public discussion on whether Lviv and the region are ready to organise the defence in the event of a Russian offensive.
Translated by Vitalii Holich
You can read a Ukrainian language version of this story here.
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Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
