NATO is moving personnel from Kiev to Lviv in the west of the country "for security reasons," according to Reuters.
"The safety of our staff is paramount, so staff have been moved to Lviv and Brussels. NATO offices in Ukraine remain operational," the official told Reuters, without giving an estimate of the people and positions being moved.
This followed the decisions of the United States of America and the United Kingdom to move their Ukrainian embassies from Kyiv to Lviv. Several other nations have also moved diplomats and services from the capital.
G7 foreign ministers called the increasing number of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine "very worrying" on Saturday night.
G7 ministers condemned the use of heavy weapons and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas in the Donbass region, saying it was a violation of the Minsk agreement, designed in 2015 to resolve the conflict peacefully. They called on Russia to use its influence over pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and fulfill its obligations in implementing the Minsk agreements. The ministers stated that they are particularly concerned about the actions of the self-proclaimed people's republics in eastern Ukraine and that they fear that "staged incidents could be used as a pretext for a possible military escalation."
G7 representatives praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements at the Munich Security Conference earlier Saturday, where he said he was ready to play a constructive role in the peace process.
The EU will coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine
The European Union (EU) announced today that it will coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, especially medical supplies and protective equipment by air, at the request of Kyiv.
The assistance provided by the member states "is intended to support Ukraine's efforts to prepare for all possible scenarios," the European Commission said in a statement.
Aid includes disposable medical masks, sterile gloves, electrical generators, antibiotics and disinfectants provided by Slovenia, Ireland, Romania and Austria.
France will provide hundreds of tents, mats, blankets and sleeping bags, 3.000 gloves for "chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear" protection, as well as a mobile hospital capable of treating 500 people, the statement said.
"As soon as Ukraine asked for our help, we worked around the clock to help the authorities," said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.
"Aid for civil protection is on the way. Slovenia, Romania, France, Ireland and Austria have already given help and I expect further help in the coming days from other EU member states," he added.
North Macedonia called on its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately
This afternoon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia called on Macedonian citizens who are still in Ukraine to leave the country immediately due to a possible military escalation.
"Due to the seriously deteriorating security situation in and around Ukraine, we make a special appeal to our citizens who are still in Ukraine to leave that country urgently due to the possibility of military escalation," the ministry said in a statement.
At the same time, all citizens of North Macedonia, who were planning to visit Ukraine in the upcoming period, are invited to avoid traveling to that country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, a NATO member country, pointed out that it is carefully monitoring the situation in Ukraine and that it is in constant communication with its partners, with whom it exchanges information and analyzes of the current situation on a daily basis.
In the appeal, the telephone and email numbers of the embassy in Kiev and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje were again published, to which Macedonian citizens in Ukraine should contact and submit their information, if they have not done so so far.
"At the same time, we remind all our citizens, both those who are here and those who are in Ukraine, or anywhere, to follow and get information from the official channels of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the social networks of the Ministry and the Embassy of North Macedonia in Kyiv," it is stated. in the announcement.
It is noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and will inform about possible guidelines for Macedonian citizens.
The authorities in Skopje previously, on February 11, appealed to Macedonian citizens in Ukraine to "leave that country as soon as possible, if they are able to".
Zelenski: We are not ready to put ourselves in coffins and wait for foreign soldiers to enter
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that NATO partners should present a time frame in which Ukraine could join the alliance.
"Ukraine needs security guarantees," he told CNN. He said that in Ukraine they understand that there are many different risks due to NATO and that his country needs to know how long it takes to get to the Alliance.
Asked about the use of American intelligence data regarding a possible Russian invasion, Zelensky said that he trusts the Ukrainian security services, but that other information should also be used, Index reports.
"We are not actually living in a delusion. We understand what can happen tomorrow... But we are not ready to put ourselves in coffins and wait for foreign soldiers to come in," he said.
US Secretary of Defense: Russia could attack in the short term
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he does not believe Russia's increased military presence along the Ukrainian border is a bluff and that Russian President Vladimir Putin may decide to attack Ukraine in the short term.
He claims that Russia has developed a combat infrastructure along the Ukrainian border in order to carry out a successful invasion.
"He has a number of options available to him and he could, could attack in the short term," Austin said in an interview with ABC recorded yesterday, the Index reports.
When asked about the possibility that Putin is raising tensions without intending to actually invade, Austin said: "I don't believe it's a bluff."
Agence France-Presse reports that grenades exploded near the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastirsky, who was on the front line. There were no injuries, and you can read more about it HERE.
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed today in a new outbreak of violence on the front line with pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country, the Ukrainian army announced.
These are the first deaths among Ukrainian soldiers in more than a month.
Four soldiers were injured and hospitalized, according to a statement from the army, which accused the separatists of committing 70 ceasefire violations.
This morning, the army reported the death of one soldier in shelling in eastern Ukraine.
A Unity March was organized in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, due to growing tensions between that country and Russia.
After Germany, France also called on its citizens to leave Ukraine due to the worsening of the situation in the east of that country.
France has recommended that its citizens leave Ukraine, and that those in the east of the country leave the area immediately.
"It is recommended that all French citizens whose stay in Ukraine is not absolutely necessary leave the country," the foreign ministry said.
It is added that those who are "in the areas of Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk", as well as in the Dnieper region, "are urged to leave those areas without delay", reports N1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin today, at a time of growing fear of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that "Ukrainians will protect their beautiful country no matter what."
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Germany: The package of sanctions is ready
German Foreign Minister Analena Berbok said on Saturday that the sanctions package against Russia "has been ready for weeks".
Kiev: Russia targeted a humanitarian convoy
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv announced that Russia shelled a humanitarian convoy from the office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, while it was returning from the territory controlled by the separatists, Index reports.
Ukraine is "preparing for all possible scenarios", said the head of diplomacy Dmytro Kuleba, while the US is convinced that Russia could attack Ukraine at any moment.
"We are preparing for all possible scenarios," Kuleba told reporters, commenting on the latest information from US President Joseph Biden about the possibility of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Faced with the growing risk that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis will degenerate into an armed conflict in the heart of Europe, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven most industrialized countries of the world (G7) called for an extraordinary meeting late this afternoon, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The German Foreign Ministry has called on all German citizens to leave Ukraine immediately.
Leading airline Lufthansa also announced that it was suspending flights to and from Kyiv. "This affects all departures from Monday, February 21 to February 28, 2022," Lufthansa said, as Indeks reports.
On Saturday, Austria also called on all its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, with the exception of those currently residing in western Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the Munich Conference today. He pointed out that Russia will fail if it attacks Ukraine using brute force.
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A state of emergency has been introduced in the Rostov region in Russia since today due to the influx of refugees from the Donbass, in the east of Ukraine, reports Tanjug. More on that HERE
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Ukraine will not respond to provocations in the eastern Donbass region and will seek to establish peace through diplomatic means.
"We do not respond to provocations and strive to establish peace exclusively through diplomatic means," Zelenski wrote on his Instagram account.
Zelensky traveled to Germany to attend a security conference in Munich as his country prepares for a possible military attack by Russia, which has massed more than 100.000 troops near Ukraine's borders, Reuters reported.
Another grenade was found on the territory of the Rostov region near the state border with Ukraine, a source who did not wish to be named told Interfax, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) reports.
"Another shell was also found in the Tarasovsky district near the village of Mityakinskaya. This is a 120-millimeter Soviet-era projectile," the Interfax source said.
Earlier this morning, a grenade exploded in the Rostov region of Russia at a location one kilometer from the border with Ukraine, according to the relevant Russian services.
"The grenade exploded on the territory of the Tarasovsky District of the Rostov Oblast, one kilometer from the border of Russia and Ukraine. The explosion occurred at four o'clock Moscow time, just 300 meters from populated residential buildings," an official source told the TASS reporter and confirmed that local residents reported this incident to the security services, reports RTS.
The RIA Novosti agency stated that there were no victims, and no material damage was caused.
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