Germany reducing embassy staff in Kyiv due to potential Russian invasion

The German Foreign Office announced on Saturday they would be reducing embassy staff in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv amid growing fears of a Russian invasion. 

“We will keep our embassy in #Kiew open but reduce our diplomatic staff. Our Consulate General Donetsk, based in Dnipro since 2014, is temporarily being relocated to Lyiv,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. 

Germany also issued a warning to German nationals in Ukraine, saying they should consider leaving the country. 

The announcement comes after the U.S. ordered the evacuation of most embassy staff in Kyiv on Saturday. 

The evacuation order came with a level four travel advisory that stated American citizens in Ukraine needed to leave the country immediately. 

The State Department added that on Sunday, the embassy in Kyiv will halt all consular services, and the embassy will “maintain a small consular presence in Lviv, Ukraine to handle emergencies, but will not be able to provide passport, visa or routine consular services.”

A senior State Department official said later Saturday morning that “a couple thousand Americans” had notified the U.S. that they are in Ukraine, and that the department has been in touch about whether they intend to leave.