Turkey evacuates embassy in Kyiv

By AP 11 March 2022, 5:55 pm

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People look at the gutted remains of Russian military vehicles on a road in the town of Bucha, close to the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Serhii Nuzhnenko)

Turkey has evacuated its embassy in Kyiv, a Foreign Ministry spokesman says.

Tanju Bilgic says staff at the mission would move to Chernivtsi near the Romanian border for security reasons, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The order to leave Kyiv came as Russian forces fanned out around the city and appeared likely to step up artillery and rocket attacks. Many countries ordered diplomatic staff to leave Kyiv before Russia launched its invasion on February 24.

Turkey has close ties to both Ukraine and Russia and has been seeking to mediate between its warring Black Sea neighbors.