France ‘strongly recommends’ nationals to leave Russia

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) – The French Foreign Ministry on Monday called on its citizens passing through Russia to leave the country without any delay amid Moscow's ongoing military intervention in Ukraine.

In a statement issued on the ministry's social media post, the French people passing through Russia, whether they be tourists students professionals on assignments, were advised to make arrangements to leave the country via existing air links.

Earlier the same day, Paris, as well as nine other European countries, closed their airspace for Russia.

Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, transport minister of the country, had said: "France is shutting its airspace to all Russian aircraft and airlines from this evening on. To the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe responds with total unity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine. He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy its neighbor, but wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

In response, Western powers have imposed financial sanctions on Moscow, and the EU has decided to fund arm supplies to Ukraine, close its airspace to Russian airlines, and ban Russian state media.

At least 368,000 Ukrainians have fled the country since the beginning of the attack, according to the UN Refugee Agency.