BEIJING: China is gearing up to bring back its nationals from Ukraine by chartered flights following the massive military operations launched by Russia against the east European country, the official media reported on Friday.
The Chinese embassy in Kyiv issued a notice on Thursday in preparation for bringing back Chinese nationals from Ukraine.
Given the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country, Chinese nationals and companies are facing high-security risks. For this reason, the embassy is preparing charter flights and has asked all Chinese nationals to voluntarily register, state-run Global Times reported.
The charter flights will be dispatched according to the safety situation and will be notified in advance, the embassy said.
Currently, there are about 6,000 Chinese in Ukraine, mainly in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Sumy, the Chinese embassy said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the media on Thursday that China's embassy in Ukraine has issued a security alert.
"Given the current situation, we remind Chinese citizens and companies to protect their own safety and prevent accidents and injuries", she said.
The situation in Ukraine deteriorated after Putin announced the military operation in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
Following Putin's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said an "invasion" could be the beginning of a "big war" in Europe.
