Ukraine breaks off diplomatic relations with Russia against the backdrop of a military operation that it launched in the Donbass. This was announced by the President of the Republic Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We broke off diplomatic relations with Russia. Ukraine is defending itself and will not give up its freedom, no matter what they think in Moscow. Russia meanly, suicidally attacked our country, as Germany did in World War II, ”the Strana newspaper quotes the head of state. Zelensky stressed that “the Russian state is on the path of evil.” In his opinion, much now depends on the citizens of Russia. The politician said that those “who have not lost their conscience” “it’s time to come out to protest against the war with Ukraine.”
The initiative to break off diplomatic relations was announced in Kyiv on February 22 after Russia recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) the day before. On the same day, Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksiy Goncharenko submitted a relevant draft resolution to the country’s parliament. He said that by his actions, Moscow itself severed diplomatic relations with Kiev. Zelensky then said that he would consider this issue.
On February 22, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that diplomats and employees of the country’s embassy and consulates general were being evacuated from Ukraine. According to a statement from the department, the decision was due to repeated attacks on the Kiev embassy, consulates general in Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov, as well as provocations against the Russian Center for Science and Culture in the Ukrainian capital.
In addition, the ministry accused Kyiv of pursuing a policy of “Russophobia”. They noted that in Ukraine “authoritarian forms of government are being strengthened” and the country has been “plunging deeper into chaos” for several years. The evacuation of diplomats began yesterday.