The US State Department issued a directive asking families of its staffers at the US Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country due to the heightened risk of a Russian invasion.
US Staff Pulled Out From Ukraine Embassy
All the dependents of the personnel and non-essential embassy crew were ordered to leave Ukraine. According to the Associated Press report, all the travel expenses will be shouldered by the US government.
"Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk," the department advised in a statement, which was updated on Sunday.
State Department, however, clarified that the US embassy in Kyiv will continue its operation. The decision is not an evacuation and easing US support for Ukraine, which recently started receiving military support from the US and NATO to boost its defensive capabilities.
The statement of the State Department was issued in response to recent reports that Russia was plotting major military operations against Ukraine. On the other hand, the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused NATO countries of using disinformation to escalate the conflict around Ukraine.
Meanwhile, According to Al Jazeera, the British Embassy in Ukraine has announced on Monday the pulling out of its staff and their dependents from Kyiv due to increasing fears of a Russian invasion.
"The British Embassy remains open and will continue to carry out essential work," it said on Twitter.
Russia, Ukrainian Politician Rejects UK Claim of Attempts To Oust Leader
Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected the British allegations that Kremlin attempted to install a pro-Moscow leadership in Ukraine.
British Foreign Office earlier alleged that Russian intelligence officials were in contact with Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev and former government officials, including Mykola Azarov, a former prime minister under Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president ousted in 2014, and Yanukovych's ex-chief of staff, Andriy Kluyev.
The Foreign Office added that the personalities are presently involved "in the planning for an attack on Ukraine."
Ridiculous Claims
Murayev dismissed the allegation of having contact with any Russian intelligence officer. He said that the Britsh claim is "ridiculous and funny" since he has been banned from Russia since 2018 as Moscow considers him a security threat.
He claimed the sanctions were imposed on him by Kremlin as a result of a disagreement with Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukraine's most known pro-Russia politician and a good friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Murayev believes that Ukraine should be neutral, and its desire to join NATO could further continue the years of conflict between the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatists that resulted in the death of 14,000 people.
Murayev served in the legislature from 2014 until 2019. He began his political career with the Opposition Bloc faction, which was established from the remnants of Yanukovich's Party of Regions. He created his political party, For Life, in June 2016, and another, Nashi, in 2018, as per Reuters.
Seemingly mocking the British allegations, Murayev had uploaded a picture of himself transformed to look like the fictitious British secret agent James Bond on Facebook.