Employees leave Ukraine and cross border to safety, military trainers already withdrawn
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday morning, CBC reports that Canadian embassy staff have fled the country, citing a source who was not authorized to speak on the record.
The source says that embassy staff have crossed the border into neighbouring Poland.
Earlier this month, Canada has relocated its embassy from Kyiv to Lviv in the western part of Ukraine amid fears of an invasion. Canada also withdrew its military trainers in anticipation of a Russian invasion.
Travel advice for Canadians in Ukraine has been updated. The government is warning that consular services could be limited and that the government may not be able to help them leave the country. The updated guidance said that “if you are in Ukraine, you should shelter in place unless it is safe for you to leave the country”.
As tensions rose in late January, Canada ordered diplomats’ families to leave Ukraine. In a statement released on Jan. 25, Global Affairs Canada said that the government had decided to temporarily withdraw staff’s children under the age of 18 and family members accompanying them, as per a CTV News report.
“The safety and security of Canadians, our personnel and their families at our missions abroad is our top priority,” read the statement.
Fears have been building over the past few weeks of a Russian invasion in Ukraine. On Thursday morning, Russian officially started its invasion of Ukraine with various attacks currently being carried out. Leaders around the world have condemned and promised harsh sanctions against Russia.
In a statement this morning, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that “these unprovoked actions are a clear further violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“Canada calls on Russia to immediately cease all hostile and provocative actions against Ukraine and withdraw all military and proxy forces from the country. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and the Ukrainian people must be free to determine their own future.”
There have been tensions between the two countries since the end of the Cold War and the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged US President Joe Biden to let Ukraine join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – a military alliance between a number of European and North American countries. This seems to have been the boiling point for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has previously invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing the region of Crimea.
