Will Uzbekistan relocate its embassy in Kyiv?

Uzbekistan is not considering relocating its embassy in Kyiv. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Yusuf Kabuljanov, reports this.

"At the moment, our main purpose is to ensure the safe evacuation of all Uzbek citizens, given the difficult situation in Ukraine. The relocation of the Embassy will significantly reduce the effectiveness of these processes. From this point of view, the issue of the relocation of our embassy from Kyiv, is not being considered at the moment”, - the official from the Ministry stated.

According to Yusuf Kabuljanov, difficulties have arisen in evacuating citizens from some Ukrainian localities where active hostilities are taking place, including Kharkiv, Sumi, and Kherson. The evacuation of civilians from these towns will take place after the end of hostilities, until that time it is recommended to remain in the protected bunkers.

In mid-February, the United States of America temporarily relocated its embassy in Ukraine from Kiev to Lviv. Following the United States, the United Kingdom decided to move its embassy in Ukraine to Lviv. Australia and Canada took similar measures. South Korea also closed its embassy in Kyiv. NATO closed its office in Kyiv.

For reference, as of 2 March, 1,186 Uzbeks have been brought to Uzbekistan through Poland on five flights from Ukraine.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in the Kremlin recognizing the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (PRC) in eastern Ukraine. Russia later increased the threat of war against Ukraine.

Officials from the US, the European Union, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan also imposed sanctions on Russia after Putin’s urgent decision.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military had launched a «special military operation» in Donbas in eastern Ukraine and that Russian troops had launched an offensive against Ukraine. Putin justified this move with the request of the leaders of the pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukraine's President Zelensky addressed the citizens of Russia in Russian, stating that the Ukrainians «do not need a cold, hot or hybrid war», and that the Ukrainians are ready to meet the attackers. The president soon broke diplomatic relations with Russia. President Zelensky declared martial law.

On 25 February, Zelensky announced a general military mobilization in Ukraine. The call took place in a number of regions and cities of the country.
Russian forces are still attacking Ukraine from the north, east and south and have captured a number of territories. But this war left Russia isolated from the world.

The attack on Ukraine was a serious blow to the Russian economy. Stocks of Russian companies plummeted, and trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange plummeted. «Gazprom», «LUKOIL» and other large companies suffered losses.

After the attack, European countries and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia. Russian VTB, Bank “Rossiya”, “Otkritiya”, “Novikombank”, “Promsvyazbank”, “Sovkombank” and WEB.RF were disconnected from the international interbank system SWIFT.

The United States and the European Union have blocked Russia’s international reserves.

European countries, the US, and Canada have closed their airspace to Russia. Switzerland, a neutral state, has also joined the sanctions. After the war, Ukraine’s entry into the European Union accelerated.