PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that 11 Malaysians in Ukraine are in the process of being evacuated amid the current uncertainties in the region.
“The mission (Malaysia’s Embassy in Kyiv) is in contact with the Malaysians. Those outside Kyiv are making plans to leave. Those in Kyiv will gather at the Embassy,” he said adding that eight Malaysians are based in Kyiv, while the remaining three are outside the capital city.
“The priority of the government is the safety of Malaysians,” he told Malaysian media at the end of his two-day official visit here yesterday
According to reports, Ukraine announced today the closure of its airspace for civilian use due to “high risk” to civil aviation.
It is learnt that the evacuation plan for Malaysians is to travel via road to Poland that may take about 10 hours covering 782 kilometres.
It is understood that the Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv is in touch with its counterpart in Warsaw and has asked them to facilitate at the border crossing.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri in his Twitter post said: “The Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv is providing shelter to Malaysians before they could return home”.
According to international media reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a special military operation in the Donbas region, eastern Ukraine.
Following that, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared a state of emergency throughout the country.
Ukraine has also announced the closure of its airspace for public use, due to the ‘high risk’ to civil aviation. – Bernama
