The Canadian government has moved to pull out the remaining non-essential staff from the Canadian embassy in Ukraine and their families.
Global Affairs Canada announced the decision on Sunday, saying that their highest priority is the safety and security of Canadian citizens.
The embassy remains open and officials are able to provide consular support.
On Jan. 25 the government said it was going to 鈥渢emporarily withdraw鈥� the children of embassy staff if they are under the age of 18, as well as family members accompanying them. This came after Canada updated its travel advisory suggesting Canadians in Ukraine consider whether their presence remains necessary.
Other countries have also been withdrawing embassy and diplomatic staff from Ukraine over heightened concerns of a Russian invasion.
鈥淎s announced earlier this week, Canada will be reinforcing the team at the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, with officials with expertise in areas such as security sector reform, conflict management, democratic reform, consular services and diplomacy,鈥� Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.
鈥淭ogether, they will increase our diplomatic capacity and allow us to continue to assess and respond to the evolving situation in support of Ukraine.鈥�
