Russia evacuating diplomats from Ukraine

Russia is planning to evacuate its diplomatic staff from Ukraine to “protect their lives and safety,” the Russian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.

“Our first priority is to take care of Russian diplomats and employees of the Embassy and Consulates General,” the foreign ministry’s statement said, according to Reuters. “To protect their lives and safety, the Russian leadership decided to evacuate staff of Russian missions in Ukraine, which will be implemented in the very near future.”

The same day, the U.S. announced plans to relocate its own embassy operations in Ukraine to Poland, citing “security reasons.”

“The fact that we are taking prudent precautions for the sake of the safety of U.S. government personnel and U.S. citizens, as we do regularly worldwide, in no way undermines our support for, or our commitment to, Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Russia’s announcement comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine.

The move evoked global concern, especially from Western countries. President Biden shortly afterward signed an executive order blocking new U.S. investment, trade and financing from flowing into Donetsk and Luhansk and giving himself the power to “impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in” the two breakaway territories.

The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced its first round of sanctions against wealthy Russians and Russian banks following the move.