OSCE secretary general announces evacuation of staff in Ukraine

The secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced on Thursday that the organization would be temporarily evacuating its staff in Ukraine less than 24 hours after Russia launched its attack against the country.

“Due to the ongoing fighting and deteriorated security situation in Ukraine, in coordination with the Chairman-in-Office, I have decided to temporarily evacuate all international mission members from Ukraine as soon as possible,” OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid said in a statement.

“This decision was not taken lightly and the relocation is meant to be temporary,” she added. “The safety of the dedicated women and men who serve as impartial eyes and ears of the international community on the ground throughout the country is imperative.”

The OSCE secretary general said that the evacuation would happen “as early as possible and feasible,” while noting that the organization looked “forward to resuming our missions when circumstances permit.”

The announcement comes as the State Department confirmed earlier on Thursday that the U.S.’s embassy operations in Ukraine were officially moved to Poland.

“We will continually assess the security situation to determine when it may be safe for U.S. government personnel to return to Ukraine to conduct diplomacy on the ground and provide in-person consular services,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill.

Officials had estimated that Russia had amassed up to 190,000 troops near Ukraine before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine during an address Thursday morning Moscow time.

President Biden on Thursday announced a new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia, including targeting more Russian elites with Kremlin associations and major Russian banks and imposing export controls on certain American technology like lasers and semiconductors.