Korean Embassy in Ukraine urges remaining citizens to prepare for emergency

A woman walks near Ukrainian military service members guarding a road that leads to a government block in Kyiv, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24. Reuters-Yonhap

The Korean Embassy in Kyiv called Friday on any remaining South Korean citizens in Ukraine to prepare for all emergency situations as Russian forces waged attacks on multiple fronts in the country.

"There is a growing possibility of various chaotic situations in Kyiv and other major cities, including the cutting off of electricity and communication networks, arson and explosions, whose actors may be hard to specify," the embassy wrote in a notice posted on its website.

The embassy advised remaining Koreans to be fully prepared for turmoil in the wake of the disruption to electricity and communications due to fighting.

Embassy staff have provided emergency survival bags to them and are regularly checking on their safety, it added.

Despite the government's repeated warnings to leave Ukraine, there were 64 Korean nationals in the nation as of Thursday and 28 of them wished to remain there, according to the foreign ministry.

The ministry said earlier it will evacuate nonessential staff from Kyiv by Friday, along with other civilians via land routes, after Russian forces unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases in several parts of Ukraine the previous day.

The Korean Embassy will continue to operate with a small number of staff, including the ambassador, for now to ensure the safety of the remaining Koreans in Ukraine, according to Seoul officials. (Yonhap)