Seoul, Feb 20 (IANS): South Korea has issued an emergency warning to urge the last remaining citizens to quickly leave Ukraine due to escalating military tension along the eastern border with Russia, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The Korean Embassy in Ukraine stepped up its warning as shelling in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine intensified in new signs of fears that a war could start within days, reports Yonhap News Agency.

A total of 68 Korean nationals were staying in Ukraine as of Saturday, which excludes diplomatic staff and 10 living in the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, according to the Mnistry.

Among them, 40 will depart Ukraine over the weekend, while the embassy will continue to persuade other citizens to flee the nation or move to the western region for their safety.

The Embassy has been providing emergency kits and information about bomb shelters for the remaining citizens in case of contingency, it noted.

The Korean Embassy has relocated its staff to temporary offices in Ukraine's Liev on the western border and Przemysl in Poland's southeastern region since February 16.