The Australian government urged its citizens to leave Ukraine at the earliest and is aiding the Eastern European country to defend itself against cyber-attacks. Furthermore, Australia has also started recalling family members of its diplomats based in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne asked Australia’s critical technology ambassador Tobias Feakin, a government official with experience in information security, to lead negotiations with Ukraine and discuss measures to deter cyber-attacks on critical systems. Last week, Payne said the government is considering Ukraine’s request for assistance in cybersecurity following a phone call between Payne and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.
“Australia strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and we call on Russia to de-escalate immediately,” Payne said in a statement.
A senior official at Ukraine’s embassy in Canberra, Volodymyr Shalkivskyi, dismissed reports of Australia sending military aid to defend Ukraine, but said his country needs assistance with cybersecurity and medical supplies. “There is no easing of the situation, for sure, so we rely on the position, stance and assistance of our partners in this situation because the Russian military superiority is undoubted,” he said.
He added that his country would fight Russia with or without international assistance. “It is our land and we are not going to give up. So it will cost the conqueror. The occupation of Ukraine would cost a lot to Russia,” Shalkivskyi said.
Additionally, the Australian government updated the travel warning for Ukraine to “do not travel” on Monday and urged Australians to leave the country by commercial means at the earliest. The government said, “Australians who decide to remain in Ukraine should review their personal security plans, be prepared to shelter in place if required, maintain heightened security awareness and register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”
The authorities further warned of the possible suspension of flights or a change in schedule. “Consular services and our ability to provide consular assistance to Australians may be limited due to local circumstances,” they added.
According to government sources, at least 1,400 Australians are in Ukraine. Earlier, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom also withdrew family members of diplomats and updated their travel advisories.
However, while speaking to ABC Radio National on Tuesday, Shalkivskyi expressed displeasure over Australia’s decision to withdraw family members of diplomats in Ukraine, saying, “In this situation, we would like to avoid panic and different kind of rumours that the invasion is inevitable.”
Likewise, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko also called the countries’ decision to withdraw personnel “premature.”
There are 129 diplomatic missions in Ukraine. Of these, only 4 have declared the departure of the family members of personnel: US, UK, Australia and Germany. The rest, including EU, OSCE, CoE, NATO and UN have not expressed their intention to follow such premature steps.
— Oleg Nikolenko (@OlegNikolenko_) January 24, 2022
In response, Payne said she understood their concerns, but reiterated that her role was to ensure the safety of Australians.
The decision comes amid the increased threat of Russia invading Ukraine as the former has assembled 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.
In contrast, the Russian embassy condemned Australian support for Ukraine, saying, “All those genuinely concerned about peace and security in Ukraine should support the UNSC-endorsed Minsk process rather than encourage Kyiv’s reckless efforts to break it.”
On Monday, even the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) put extra forces on standby and sent more ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the US is also considering sending warships and aircraft to allies in Eastern Europe to counter Russian aggression.