Russia-Ukraine war: US Embassy in Belarus issues advisory urging nationals to evacuate

As the tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate, the US Embassy in Belarus issued an advisory to its nationals on Saturday and urged them to flee the country the earliest. The advisory also asked US citizens to refrain from visiting Belarus amid the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe. Minsk International Airport is operating with international flights to a restricted number of destinations, and land borders with Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland are open and operating at normal capacity, the advisory added. 

"US citizens should be aware that due to ongoing Russian military hostilities in Ukraine there is heightened tension in the region, the situation is unpredictable, and Minsk airport and Belarusian land border operations could change without significant notice," the US Embassy in Belarus stated. It further noted that citizens of the United States should avoid public demonstrations since there is a risk of harassment aimed exclusively at foreign nationals. Due to the Belarusian administration's restrictions on US Embassy staffing, the US government's capacity to offer normal or emergency services to US residents in Belarus is severely constrained, the embassy claimed. 

US Treasury imposes sanctions on Belarus 

Meanwhile, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury has decided to impose sanctions on 24 Belarusian people and entities, citing "Minsk support for, and facilitation of, the invasion." The US authorities made the decision in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions are aimed at two state-owned banks, Belvinvestbank and Bank Dabrabyt, as well as Belarus' defence and security industry and defence authorities. The US Treasury Department stated that the sanctions imposed by US authorities will have major downstream consequences in Belarus. 

Denmark ready to accept refugees from Ukraine amid ongoing crisis

It is pertinent to mention here that Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that her country is ready to accept refugees from Kyiv as thousands of Ukrainians are evacuating their homes after Russia launched an invasion. She also vowed to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and its neighbours amid the ongoing crisis. The Danish Prime Minister further stated that it is far too early to estimate how many migrants Denmark will facilitate, but that immigration officials have begun making preparations to accept Ukrainian refugees, as per Xinhua news agency. 

Image: AP