Ukraine: US orders families of Kyiv embassy staff to leave Ukraine

Relatives of US diplomats stationed in Kyiv should start leaving Ukraine, the US State Department said on Sunday.

The State Department advised against traveling to Ukraine due to "increased threats of Russian military action" and COVID-19.

In a travel advisory published on its website, the State Department said that there were reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine.

Read more at: US orders families of Kyiv embassy staff to leave Ukraine | News | DW | 23.01.2022

The Netherlands: Dutch military pulled 2,500 people from Kabul including final evacuation flight Thursday

The Dutch military evacuated more than 2,500 people from Afghanistan in the past week, including more than 1,600 people with the Netherlands as their destination. The Cabinet reported this in a letter to Parliament about the evacuation mission which ended on Thursday with a final flight from Kabul to Islamabad in which remaining Dutch diplomats and soldiers were on board.

"It is terrible to have to leave Afghanistan after 20 years in this way," tweeted caretaker Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag. "It is with a heavy heart that the embassy team and the military have left with the last Dutch flight."

Among the evacuees are Dutch nationals, interpreters and their families and people who have worked in the Dutch service in the past and may therefore be at risk now that the Taliban have seized power in the country. The government cannot yet state exact numbers per group.

Read more at: Dutch military pulled 2,500 people from Kabul including final evacuation flight Thursday | NL Times

Russia sends warships to Syria to prepare for evacuation - by John Hall

Russia has sent warships to the Mediterranean in preparation for an evacuation of its citizens from Syria, according to a Moscow news agency.


The move is the first sign that Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is worried that rebel advances now threaten the capital Damascus.

Moscow’s actions come just a day after rebels seized the Yarmouk Palestinian camp two miles from the city centre. The camp is considered to be a possible springboard for a thrust into Damascus.

Although the anti-Assad opposition has waged a 21-month-old uprising, its most significant military and diplomatic gains have come in last few weeks.

It has recently captured a series of army installations across Syria and secured formal recognition from Western and Arab states for its new coalition.

Read more: Russia sends warships to Syria to prepare for evacuation - Middle East - World - The Independent

Europeans wanting to flee Libya violence are unable to use evacuation flights - EU and Turkey or UN could temporarily take-over Benghazi Airport?

Several European countries are sending planes to evacuate their citizens from strife-torn Libya as continuing violence threatens economic projects.

Italy, Greece and the Netherlands are sending transport planes to Libya to get their citizens out.  Austria and Portugal have already done so while airports were still open.

Most of the evacuation aircraft are now sitting on runways in Europe, because it's now nearly become impossible to use air transport since runways at Benghazi airport have been destroyed in the anti-government uprising and the Tripoli airport is hardly functioning because many flight controllers have not shown up for work.

The time has probably come for the EU and Turkey, or the UN, if they can get their act together, to temporarily take military control of the Benghazi Airport to fly expats out instead of waiting while the situation worsens.

EU-Digest