Russia-Ukraine live updates: Kyiv urges citizens to leave Russia

Warning comes as Western powers say Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine has started with moves in Donbas.

Ukraine has urged its citizens to leave Russia and has slapped sanctions on hundreds of Russians as war fears rise.

In an advisory note issued on Wednesday, Ukraine’s foreign ministry recommended that nationals “refrain from any trips” to the country and said those who were already there should depart “immediately”.

The warning came as Ukraine’s parliament approved imposing sanctions on 351 Russians, including lawmakers who supported President Vladimir Putin’s move to recognize eastern Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent and deploy troops to the breakaway regions.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry has warned the country’s nationals not to visit Russia and urged its citizens already there to leave the country.

“The foreign ministry recommends that citizens of Ukraine refrain from any trips to the Russian Federation, and those who are in this country to leave its territory immediately,” the ministry said in a newly-issued travel advisory.

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