International

France urges citizens to leave Russia if presence ‘not essential’

KathmanduPati March 03, 2022

KATHMANDU – France “strongly” urged its citizens on Thursday to leave Russia if their presence there was “not essential”, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the closure of airspace between Russia and the European Union.

“In the context of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and following the imposition of international sanctions, we must increase our vigilance,” the foreign ministry wrote on its website.

Already on Sunday, Paris had advised French citizens passing through Russia to leave the country. The ministry referred French citizens to the website of its embassy in Russia for a “non-exhaustive” list of “indirect” flights to France after EU member states closed their airspace to Russian planes and services.

“We know that there are a lot fewer flights. We think that people who don’t have an absolutely essential reason to remain in Russia should take the choice to leave,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman said. The government also urged French citizens to “defer any trips to Russia”.