The Brazilian embassy in Ukraine issued an alert on Saturday (19) advising citizens to leave the provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk, in the east of the country, in view of the increase in tensions in the region, the focus of the crisis involving Russia and the West.
The two provinces, self-proclaimed “people’s republics”, had already started the evacuation of women, the elderly and children and this Saturday decreed the military mobilization of all men of age to take up arms. Local leaders accuse Kiev of preparing an invasion.
During the local dawn and morning (still Friday night and dawn in Brazil), there were reports of explosions north of Donetsk and information of exchange of fire. The Ukrainians accused the death of two soldiers and an attack with a projectile near the place where the minister of the interior was.
The Brazilian diplomatic representation reported, in its alert, “the increase in ceasefire violations recorded in the contact line in eastern Ukraine”. The recommendation given by the agency is that Brazilians in the country “redouble their attention and avoid visits” to the place.
“Citizens who are already in these regions are advised to consider leaving them without delay. Brazilian citizens in Ukraine should still be aware of the possibility of further cancellations or postponement of international flights in the next week,” the note reads.
Also on Saturday, France and Germany urged citizens to leave Ukraine immediately. “German citizens are urged to leave the country now,” the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement. “A military confrontation is possible at any time.”
The French government called for an exit “without delay”, especially for citizens in Ukraine’s most exposed areas. Other countries, including the UK and the US, had already given the same guidance to their nationals on Ukrainian territory.
The airline Lufthansa announced that it will suspend scheduled flights to the cities of Kiev and Odessa from Monday (21) until the end of February. Only the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, will remain on the company’s route.
