Foreign Office boosts support for Britons leaving Ukraine
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged UK nationals to leave Ukraine immediately.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Britons leaving Ukraine after Russia sent troops into the east of the country are being given extra support, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced.
Ms Truss urged British nationals to leave the country immediately by “commercial routes”.
She tweeted: “The safety and security of British nationals in Ukraine is our top priority.
“All Brits should leave now via commercial routes while they are still available.
“We are bolstering our teams in the region to support British people as they leave and once they have crossed the border.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said “rapid deployment teams” are being sent to Poland, Moldova, Lithuania and Slovakia to provide consular support to British nationals who leave Ukraine.
Foreign Office travel advice warns: “In the event of a military incursion, it is likely that commercial routes out of Ukraine will be severely disrupted and roads across Ukraine could be closed.”
Wizz Air announced it will continue to operate flights connecting Luton Airport with Kiev and Lviv.
It runs three return flights per week on both routes.
A spokeswoman said: “Wizz Air continues to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine.
We have not made any changes to our schedule
“Currently, we have not made any changes to our schedule and all of our flights to/from Ukraine continue to operate as normal.
“All passengers with booked flights to and from Ukraine are advised to regularly check their mailboxes for further information about booked flights.”
Ryanair and Ukraine International Airlines also operate flights between the UK and Ukraine.
Neither airline has announced any changes to those schedules.
A number of airlines in other countries have suspended flights to and from Ukraine.
They include Air France, Germany’s Lufthansa, Dutch carrier KLM, and Scandinavian company SAS.
Latvian airline airBaltic has halted its overnight flights to and from Ukraine.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.