Washington, Jan 25 (IANS): The US State Department ordered eligible family members of staff at its embassy in Ukraine to leave the country.
The State Department on Sunday said in a statement that it authorised the voluntary departure of US direct hire employees and ordered the departure of eligible family members from Embassy Kyiv, Xinhua news agency reported.
"US citizens in Ukraine should consider departing now using commercial or other privately available transportation options," it said.
The authorised voluntary departure applies to non-essential US government employees, who now have the option to leave Ukraine if they wish, reported local media.