Jordan, Algeria evacuate their nationals from Ukraine

By Laith Al-Jnaidi and Hassan Jebril

ANKARA (AA) – Jordan and Algeria continued to evacuate their nationals stranded in Ukraine amid Russian military operations.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said 61 citizens have been evacuated from Ukraine through neighboring countries.

It said efforts were underway to facilitate the evacuation of other nationals in Ukraine and secure their safe return to Jordan.

According to official estimates, there are around 3,500 Jordanians in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Algerian Embassy in Poland said efforts were ongoing to evacuate Algerian nationals in Ukraine through Polish borders.

The embassy estimates that there are around 1,200 Algerian students in Ukraine in addition to an unspecified number of other Algerians residing in the country.

On Saturday, an Algerian student said in a video shared on social media that 500 Algerian students had crossed the borders between Ukraine and Poland.

Algerian authorities had earlier denied reports about the death of Algerian nationals in fighting in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy pledged to defend the country, the West announced sanctions against Moscow, including measures targeting Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar