Iraq calls on citizens to leave Ukraine amid reports of imminent Russian attack

Mustafa Shilani 2022/02/12 15:55

Russian Navy ships pass through the Bosporus from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. (Photo: BBC)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq on Saturday joined other countries urging all its citizens to leave Ukraine amid fears of an imminent Russian attack on its former Soviet neighbor.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry expressed "security concerns" and fears for "the safety of the Iraqi community in Ukraine" in its call on its citizens to leave the eastern European country under "the exceptional circumstances there."

The ministry directed its embassy staff in Kyiv to enjoy "annual leave in a manner that ensures the safety of the mission's personnel."

Russia has massed over 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border even as it claims it is not planning an invasion. Russia also reportedly has forces in Belarus, Moldova, and the annexed Crimean peninsula.