The following is a German News Agency (dpa) report, updated as of February 12, 2022, with a timestamp of 18:21. Because the report is straightforward, with little repetition, and because the information contains very recent material regarding the preparations of various countries for what was thought to be an eventual, sooner-rather-than-later invasion of Ukraine by Russia, this post is a verbatim translation of the dpa report. I also find interesting the article’s concluding paragraph, in which it insinuates that to take any “hasty measures” in Ukraine that could destabilize the situation there would be similar to the evacuation from Afghanistan.

Western countries are furthering diplomacy in the dispute with Russia. Indeed, after the U.S. and others, now the German government is also warning its citizens.

After warnings of the U.S. government of a possible impending Russian attack, now the German government has also requested its citizens to leave Ukraine. “If you are in Ukraine at the present time, check whether your presence is absolutely necessary. If not, leave in the short-term,” the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.

The U.S., Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, Latvia, and Estonia had already requested their citizens to leave. Italy, Spain, and Lithuania are following suit. The U.S. government, in addition, is pulling the majority of its embassy personnel out of Kyiv.

The Foreign Ministry is warning: “In view of the massive presence and movement of Russian military units near the Ukrainian border, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have recently increased. A military confrontation is not to be ruled out.”

Germany, however, does not want to close its embassy for the time being, though a portion of the employees should leave. “We will keep our embassy in Ukraine open,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (of the Green Party) on Saturday during a visit to Egypt. Personnel, however, will be reduced. This also concerns German institutions such as the Bank for Reconstruction (KfW), the Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), and German teachers. The family members of embassy personnel should also leave the country, according to her statement.

The German Consulate-General in Dnipro should be moved to Lviv. This way, in the future, the employees should work further removed from the so-called Contact Line between the Ukrainian government troops and the separatists supported by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

A visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to Ukraine is planned for Monday. On Tuesday, Scholz wants to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time as chancellor in Moscow.

Up to the present, there has been a travel warning for Ukraine because of the corona pandemic as well as a partial travel warning for the administrative districts of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are controlled by the separatists and the areas along the Contact Line.

The U.S. government pulls most of its embassy personnel out of Kyiv

In view of the heightened situation, the U.S. government is pulling most of its embassy personnel out of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The security of American citizens has the highest priority, indeed there are boundaries for what the U.S. government could do “in a warzone.” Everything conceivable is being done to prevent Ukraine from becoming a warzone. Indeed, it seems increasingly probable that the situation there is evolving into an active conflict.

Other Countries are requesting fellow countrymen to leave Ukraine

The Italian and Spanish Foreign Ministries on Saturday were requesting their citizens in Ukraine to temporarily leave the country. In Italy, the Ministry made the decision on Saturday after a meeting convened at short notice. Those affected should use available commercial transportation to that end. The Italian Embassy in Kyiv continued to work; however, non-essential personnel should be brought back to Italy, according to a statement.

In so doing, the Mediterranean country is following countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain, which earlier was directing a similar appeal to its fellow countrymen in the East European country. Amid the continuing tension, Italy is calling to preserve the principle of territorial integrity of Ukraine, but to not break off dialogue with Moscow.

At the same time, the Ministry affirmed its warning, expressed already in January, to not travel to Ukraine because of the “unstable situation.” Numerous countries had already earlier called for their citizens to leave Ukraine, among them Germany.

Lithuania voices a travel warning

In view of the growing tension in the Ukraine conflict, Lithuania also has pronounced a travel warning for the country. The Foreign Ministry in Vilnius recommended in a statement on Saturday to avoid unnecessary travel to Ukraine. Lithuanian citizens, who are residing in the country, were requested to consider the necessity to continue residing in Ukraine. At the same time, they were called up to have themselves registered on an emergency list.

Prior to Lithuania, the other two Baltic EU and NATO countries, Latvia and Estonia, on Friday evening had called on their citizens to depart.

Similarly, the Polish Foreign Ministry requested its citizens to register at the embassy and to have everything ready for a possible departure. Curtailed should be non-essential travel to the neighboring country. This was Slovakia’s advice also; Czechia warned of traveling to Ukraine as well as to Belarus. Citizens of Czechia should leave both countries.

The U.S. government had warned of a possible invasion still before the end of next week and had relocated around 3000 more soldiers in NATO partner state Poland. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin were still wanting to speak via telephone on Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron also wanted to speak with the Kremlin chief.

After the military evacuation from Afghanistan, discussed in Berlin had been whether the Foreign Office had vacated the embassy in Kabul at the right time. As then in Afghanistan, so it goes also for the Federal government in Ukraine to ensure the security of German citizens without contributing to a destabilization of the situation in Ukraine through hasty measures. (dpa)

The German original report can be found here.

Russian military training areas surrounding Ukraine for the deployment of Russian troops